Lost & Found
by encre d'esprit
Summary: Sequel to Hide&Seek/DearSomebody- Dani is back, but she thinks the attacker from her past is too. Soon the team will realize the case wasn't closed, but will it be too late? Will Reid's feelings for Dani come out through the chaos? WRNING drugs/pair./lang
1. Welcome Back

**So here is Pt. 3. I personally don't like this first chapter so much, but I felt the need to spit it out. Please review, I'm hoping for this part to be a long one, so any thoughts/helpful hints/ideas/comments, anything! Would be GREATLY appreciated.  
-A  
…..**

"Ok, ok, I got it. Lara Croft or that chick from Resident Evil…" Morgan supplied as he tilted back in his desk chair with a smile on his face.

"Ooo. Lara Croft, definitely." Prentiss answered quickly from her own desk in the bullpen which sat across from Morgan's.

"Really? She's so overdone. She seems like the type of person who's severely egotistic too." Reid replied without looking up from the nearly finished report in front of him. The day was nearly over, ending a slow, quiet week. The team was trying to pass the last hour of their Friday, excited to finally have a weekend off. Providing Hotch or JJ didn't suddenly drop a case on them, almost everyone was looking forward to their separate plans.

Morgan laughed, "Ok then genius, who would you pick?"

Reid shrugged aimlessly as he flipped another page on his desk. He had been half-listening to Prentiss and Morgan's conversation, but felt the need to throw his two cents in from time to time.

"Oh come on. I know you've played both games, watched both movies and probably fantasized about both of them. So enlighten us. Which one is hotter in the mind of an extremely intelligent brain machine like yourself?" Morgan demanded and Prentiss looked on expectantly at the youngest team member, trying to hold back her laughter.

"Uh…" Reid stammered, immediately regretting jumping into their conversation.

"Lara Croft is too showy. Go with the Resident Evil girl…" JJ patted Reid on the back as she walked by, having heard the last parts of the conversation. Prentiss laughed and Morgan quickly joined in as Reid frowned and dropped his eyes back to the papers in front of him, his cheeks deepening in color.

JJ only shook her head and smiled as she continued walking past the group towards the wide hallway. The day was almost over and she was looking forward to the time off. Hotch had busied himself all day behind the closed doors of his office, but JJ knew he too was excited about the weekend. He had mentioned earlier that tonight he was going to pick up his son Jack after work because it was his turn to have him for the weekend. If no urgent cases were called in, it would be the first time in months that he would have his son for two nights and two full days.

JJ briskly walked down the hallway, smiling politely at the faces she passed. Once she reached the front of the BAU, she stopped at the desk and asked the woman sitting there if there were any messages for her.

As the woman looked at her notepad, JJ waited patiently, but was startled when someone suddenly called out her name.

"JJ?" A female voice asked tentatively, making JJ spin around to see the source.

"Can I help you…?" JJ frowned instantly, not recognizing the woman in front of her who obviously knew who she was. She was a little shorter than her, with short, shaggy, yet stylish brown hair that flipped slightly on the ends. She had a large bag on her shoulder and suddenly reached for the dark sunglasses that were covering most of her face.

"JJ… It's me…" The lady said and JJ's face suddenly broke into realization as the identity of the mysterious woman came into place.

………………………………………………..

"You're telling me, you've never had a fantasy involving Princess Leia?" Prentiss asked Morgan unbelievably. "I thought that was at the top of every guy's list!"

Morgan shrugged in reply and shook his head. "I've never had any fantasy involving any Star Wars, geekified type movie. It's just not my thing. I know it's Reid's thing though…" Morgan smiled deviously as he looked at his younger colleague.

"Star TREK. It's Star TREK I like. Star Wars has too many improbabilities and scientific errors. Star Trek seems more believable." Reid mumbled from his chair. Morgan was about to pry further, but suddenly JJ came into the room and cleared her throat while dragging someone behind her.

"Uh, guys? Look what I found…" She announced and pulled the girl from behind her. She smiled cautiously and waved to the group. It took them a few minutes of confusion to finally realize who it was.

"Oh my god, Dani?!" Prentiss squealed and leapt from her chair to dash over to her and JJ, then instantly wrapped the young brunette in a tight hug.

"Dani…?" Reid looked up from his report and frowned in confusion, but soon noticed her as Prentiss stepped back.

"Hey Spencer." Dani smiled casually and walked up to him, enveloping his thin frame in a warm embrace. "How are you?"

"Uh, fine… I'm.. I'm fine, how are you? What are you doing here?" He stammered, his normally quick-wit seemed to vanish into thin air.

"I'm ok…" Dani seemed to dodge the question and quickly submitted to Morgan's older brother type hug and mess of the hair.

"What on earth happened to your hair, girl? Looks like you fell into a pit of scissors!" Morgan teased as Dani dodged his rough hands from messing up her drastically shortened locks from the last time any of the team had seen her.

"Shut up, Morgan! I like it." Prentiss swatted his hand away and smiled at Dani again, while she and the others secretly wondered what she was doing in Virginia.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

It was almost 6 o'clock and most of the people working at the BAU had left, eagerly awaiting their hopefully uninterrupted weekend. Once Agent Hotchner had pulled himself from his closed office, he noticed Dani sitting with other members from his team in the bullpen. After shaking off the initial shock he greeted her with a smile and apologized for having to leave to pick up his son, but mentioned how good it was to see her. Agent Rossi also greeted her with a warm smile and made small chit chat before having to depart the office.

Dani was telling Prentiss something, but Reid briefly blocked out the conversation as his eyes trailed to Dani. Her previously long hair was drastically shorter now and she seemed to have lost at least 15 pounds. Her already thin frame now seemed more fragile from the last time he saw her, but he wasn't too sure what to think of it.

"What are you staring at Spencer?" Dani asked suddenly in a teasing tone. Reid's eyes flew up to her face and he looked around to notice Morgan and Prentiss looking at him.

"Uh… I, well um… Your hair. It.. It just looks so different…" Reid stammered, trying to spit something out as his cheeks pinkened slightly. "Not bad different! I just mean… Um different, it's… It looks good. I like it."

Dani's smile widened as she watched Reid become flustered, but lucky for Reid Prentiss jumped in.

"I love it. It suits you a lot better, you can see your face now." She drawled and touched a small piece of Dani's dark hair.

Morgan rolled his eyes at the sudden girly talk and glanced to his left, where much to his amusement, Reid was still trying to recover as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"So what are you doing here?" Prentiss curiously asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

Dani smiled cautiously, then sighed as she looked at each of the faces that were staring at her. She rustled in her large carry-on bag for a moment as the others looked on curiously. When Dani looked back up, her face was solemn and in her hands was a folded piece of paper.

"I think he found me…" She said quietly and handed the paper to Prentiss' awaiting hands. Reid frowned and watched Prentiss as she read, studying her expression. His eyes then trailed slowly to Dani, she was also watching Prentiss, but Reid couldn't tell from their faces what it was about.

"Who found you?" Reid asked and looked at Morgan questioningly.

Dani didn't answer but handed the paper to Reid with raised eyebrows after Prentiss finished reading it. She was frowning in thought as Reid skimmed over the note, then read it out loud for Morgan to hear.

"_There are some qualities- some incorporate things,_

_That have a double life, which thus is made_

_A type of that twin entity which springs_

_From matter and light, evinced in solid and shade._

_There is a two-fold Silence- sea and shore-_

_Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places,_

_Newly with grass o'ergrown; some solemn graces,_

_Some human memories and tearful lore,_

_Render him terrorless: his name's "No More."_

_He is the corporate Silence: dread him not!_

_No power hath he of evil in himself;_

_But should some urgent fate (untimely lot!)_

_Bring thee to meet his shadow (nameless elf,_

_That haunteth the lone regions where hath trod_

_No foot of man,) commend thyself to God…"_

Reid looked up at the others in disbelief as he ran the words of the poem over and over in his head.

"No, it's impossible. That guy was dead," Morgan turned to Dani and looked at her with a serious face. "D, I seen the guy myself, he was burned to pieces from a car accident. He's dead."

"It doesn't seem like it…" Dani waved to the note which was still clutched in Reid's hands. "I got it last week… I didn't know what to think, so I just started packing, got my hair cut, sold my Aunt's house… I couldn't stay there anymore anyways…" She said quietly without looking the others in the eye. Prentiss rubbed her back sympathetically, but after taking a deep breath Dani looked up again.

"Who could it be from then?" She demanded softly.

"It seems familiar…" Reid spoke up, being oblivious to what the others were saying as he was drawn to the poem as he read it over again.

"It's Edgar Alan Poe. I looked it up already." Dani supplied and snatched the letter from Reid's hands.

"It's probably just someone messing with you. Remember last time… He hand-wrote all of the letters. This one's typed. It's a different style than what you received before. I say don't worry about it." Morgan said and Dani smiled briefly, wondering if everything she had thought was all just her imagination.

"I guess…" She replied and shoved the note back into her bag. She didn't want to bring it up right away, but she couldn't find a side reason to admit why she was in Quantico.

"Well, I have to get going. I have a date that awaits. Dani, you're staying in town for a while right? We can hang out tomorrow, maybe we could all go to dinner. I'm sure there's a lot you have to catch us up on…" Morgan raised his eyebrows suspiciously as he stood and threw on his jacket.

"Yeah, sure." Dani smiled back, but inside she thought about exactly how much she had hidden from the people in front of her.

"I have to get going too, I promised my mother I would have dinner with her tonight. It's not exactly MY idea of a fun time, but a promise is a promise…" Prentiss muttered loudly as she grabbed her purse from under her desk and the jacket from the back of her chair. "Dani, are you staying with some friends or something for the night?" She asked curiously.

"Oh. Um, no I was thinking of just getting a hotel room…" She replied nonchalantly. It wasn't exactly something she had wanted to do, she had too much alone time back in her Aunt's empty house before flying over to the States. She wasn't so sure if she could trust herself to be alone so much anymore.

"A hotel? You shouldn't stay at a hotel if you don't have to, they're such a waste of money… Plus, I saw this show the other day where 23% of hotel sheets don't get changed on a regular basis. It also said that the mattresses in most hotel rooms are generally over 4 years old, so you can just imagine what kind of stuff is lodged into the mattresses that just changing the sheets won't cov-" Reid babbled on, but Prentiss quickly interrupted him with a hard slap to his chest as a disgusted look crept over her face.

"Geez, come on Reid! We have to stay in hotels half the time we're working, so maybe you should just keep your little known facts to yourself." Prentiss pleaded, but Morgan only shook his head and laughed.

"Yeah, plus where do you suggest I stay then? With you?" Dani asked accusingly as she looked at him with a teasing smile.

"Huh? No, I… Well, I didn't really… Um.." Reid slowly stammered, realizing the corner he had dragged himself in unknowingly, but suddenly felt the heavy hand of Morgan patting him on the back.

"Now there's an idea. I know for a fact Reid's got a pull-out in his living room." Morgan added slyly and patted Reid heavily on the back again, knocking Reid forward.

"Whadya say Spence? Want to save me some money?" Dani asked brightly as she picked up her bag from the floor.

"Uh, I guess… Sure, yeah…" He replied and swallowed roughly, wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

…**..**


	2. Château Reid

**I forgot to add the disclaimer to the first Chapter. Obviously I don't own these guys. If I did… Well… I have my ideas… Anyways, plots and Dani are all me! Original characters from Criminal Minds, Not me.**

"It was nice of Garcia to drive us. She seems like quite the character." Dani mentioned and she followed Reid into the low-rise apartment building.

"Yeah, she's, um… She's a little different…" Reid replied in an apologetic tone as he began the climb of three flights of stairs to his apartment.

"Different is good. She seems awesome." Dani countered and smiled to Reid's back. The little car Garcia owned was decked out with leis and little knick knacks splayed across the dashboard. Dani was a little surprised at first, but after sitting in the front seat next to Garcia and talking the entire way to Reid's place, she found she really liked Garcia and would get along great with her.

"Uh… Sorry I don't have a car… I normally take the subway to work." Reid apologized again as he fumbled with his keys once they stopped outside his apartment door.

"Don't be sorry about that." Dani laughed at the almost shameful look on his face. "I haven't owned a car in my life. Why waste money and pollute the environment if you don't have to?"

Reid nodded in agreement and finally slid the key into the lock. He was secretly hoping he hadn't left the place a mess, he definitely wasn't planning on having company over today. Actually, he never planned on having company over. The other members of the team have hardly seen where he lived, Morgan had come over a couple times, Hotch came once when he was late for work and everyone had been worried. Prentiss came over one time when he was sick and she was determined to force feed him some chicken noodle soup. Other than that, he wasn't big on inviting others over.

As the thoughts entered his mind, his throat suddenly became too dry and he cursed himself as he felt his face beginning to warm.

"So, uh, this is it…" He announced quietly and swung the door open for her. "Uh, sorry if it's a mess… I wasn't really, um… Expecting anyone to…" He let the sentence hang there because Dani walked in without saying a word and looked around. He slowly closed the door behind him and locked it, quietly counting to 10 as he did so. When he turned around Dani had set her bag down on the floor beside the couch and was already studying a picture on one of his many bookcases.

"Spencer, don't apologize…" Dani said, then turned from the bookcase to look at him briefly. "Thanks for letting me stay here… It's really nice of you. I didn't really feel like being alone anyways." Spencer paused to think about that for a moment, but before he could speculate too much Dani suddenly squealed loudly from the corner of the living room.

"Spencer, is this you?!" She asked in delight and picked up the photo frame for closer study.

Reid closed his eyes for a second to curse himself for keeping the few pictures out on display. He slowly made his way over and looked at the picture in Dani's small hands and nodded.

"Yup, that's me and my mom. I was probably like 11 in that picture." He admitted. As he looked at the picture, he noticed his mom hadn't changed much at all. Her looks remained the same for her age, minus a few wrinkles, but he looked at the little boy in the picture and a familiar feeling entered his body as he looked at it. His hair was shaggy and slightly in his eyes, cascading over the large, dark framed glasses that took up most of his face. Reid resisted the urge to grab the picture from her hands and throw it out of sight.

"You're so cute!" Dani said, catching Reid off guard. He looked at the picture again, never thinking of himself as cute, especially at that age.

"What? Really?" Reid frowned and this time he did grab the frame from Dani, but only so he could look closer at the picture himself. "Hm. I was called Professor Four Eyes for that entire year."

Dani looked up at him in a mixture of shock and sympathy as he looked at the picture. Once he noticed Dani staring at him, he offered a smile. "The kids weren't the nicest to me when I was younger. I was about 11 here so… I was IN grade 11… I graduated high school when I was 12. The kids were pretty cruel to a little brat who was 5 years younger than them, yet 5 times smarter…"

"Must have been hard." Dani replied and moved to another picture on the bookshelf, this one was of Reid, Morgan and Garcia.

Reid was slightly taken back by her reply. Normally when he mentioned to anyone that he had graduated school by the age of 12, they all replied with some shocked expression. Most of the time he could tell that they weren't sure to believe him or not or weren't sure what to say. But Dani brushed it off almost as if he was just like anyone else.

"Uh, yeah… It was tough at times.." Reid stretched the truth. In honesty it was hard nearly all of the time throughout school. Between the teasing, bantering, and studying, Reid had missed out on a childhood.

Dani looked up at him and offered a smile then pointed to the photo, "Where was this?" She asked as she lifted the frame that contained the picture of him, Morgan and Garcia.

"Oh, that was at uh… I think it was Garcia's birthday." Reid replied after a moment's thought. Dani smiled and pointed to the freeze frame of Reid.

"That's your 'bar outfit'?" She smirked and struggled to hold back a giggle that was trying to escape. Reid blushed slightly as he looked at himself in the frame. He had been wearing the same thing he wore to work that day, brown cords with a short sleeved button-up and a sweater vest.

"Shut up!" He squeaked and snatched the frame from her hands. She stopped laughing but couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she looked at him.

"No, no… It's cute too…" She tried to compose herself, but a giggle escaped and she covered her mouth unexpectedly and raised her eyebrows.

"Don't make fun…" Reid wagged his finger at her with a disapproving look splayed across his face. Dani's smile widened and she swatted him on the chest lightly.

"So what does a bar star like you do on a Friday night?" She asked as they both took a seat on the one couch in his apartment. Other than that, there wasn't much seating in his one-bedroom. There was a breakfast bar on the other side of the kitchen counter with three stools tucked in underneath and a well-worn chair placed in the corner of the living room.

Reid debated how to answer her question. They team had the weekend off and everyone had plans for tonight besides him. His plan was to make a pot of coffee and sit back with a good book he had been dying to break in, or maybe re-watch his Star Trek collection.

"Uh… I… I didn't really have anything planned for tonight…" He admitted finally.

Dani smiled at him again, "Well it must be fate then. You knew I was coming out. What do you say about pizza and a couple good movies? My treat."

Reid nodded as a smile broke out on his face. Pizza sounded good, and his stomach suddenly growled in agreement. Dani laughed and tossed him the portable phone that had been sitting on the coffee table and he directed her to his movie collection that filled one of the bookcases beside the tv.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Reid sighed in satisfaction as the ending credits began to roll across the screen. He had been a little surprised of Dani's picks, she managed to choose the first 3 Star Wars movies from his collection, a little to his dismay as he liked Star Trek better. He only had the Star Wars series in order to compare the differences between the two, but he was satisfied at her choice and found out she was a little bit of a Star Wars fan. He bugged her about it as she put it in the DVD player, but she just stuck her tongue out before sitting down on the couch beside him.

As the credits rolled after the third movie ended, Reid stretched his cramped muscles and glanced over at Dani beside him. She was leaning against the arm of the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest with her eyes closed. Reid smiled softly and looked at the clock on the wall, it was nearing 2am and a yawn broke out, signalling his own fatigue.

He stood up, stretched again, and grabbed the pizza box from the coffee table to place in the kitchen. Then he walked to his bedroom to find a blanket for Dani from the folded pile at the foot of his bed. He picked up the warmest one and brought it to his face to smell it first, just in case, then walked back out to the living room.

He unfolded the blanket and gently laid it over her. Dani moved a bit in her sleep and made a small snorting noise, making Reid struggle to hold in his laughter. He turned the tv off and hoped she wouldn't be too uncomfortable on his couch, then escaped to his bedroom to get ready for bed.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Reid's eyes fluttered open and he frowned grumpily as he rolled to his right side. It was still pitch dark out his window and he struggled to remember the dream he was just having that racked him out of his sleep. He mentally relayed the duties for the day that was coming up, he had Saturday off and had a few errands lazily planned to help pass the day.

Just as he was running through the things that needed cleaning, he heard a scream. His eyes flew back open and he slowly looked around his room, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness as his heart thudded loudly in his chest. He paused in a sitting position and listened carefully, only hearing the small drip coming from the bathroom sink.

_Fix leaky faucet… _He mentally added another thing to do for the following day and was about to lay back down on his pillow when he heard a thump come from the living room. His eyes widened and he slowly removed the comforter from his warm body and slid his feet to the ground. He frantically looked around in the dark and grabbed the pink plastic baseball bat Morgan had bought him for his last birthday as a joke. He suddenly wondered why he hadn't thrown it out yet, he obviously wasn't going to use it. But he had kept nearly anything anyone has given to him, after growing up being taunted and teased, Reid learned to keep the things from people who meant something to him.

Another noise broke through the silence and Reid swallowed nervously as he slowly tiptoed to the bedroom doorway. He stuck his head around the corner cautiously and gripped the girly object even tighter in his hands. He only needed to make it a few more feet before he could turn the light on to the living room and meet his trespasser.

He took a few slow, deep breaths as he walked very slowly to the wall. Once he reached it, he took a moment to regroup and flicked the switch quickly as he held the bat in front of him. Once the living room was bathed with light, his eyes searched frantically around his apartment and he frowned when no one was seen.

_Impossible… I couldn't have imagined tha- _Reid began to think when movement at his feet flew him in to a frenzy of surprise. He jumped back and shrieked quietly and threw the plastic bat downwards at the source.

A groan came from the lump on the floor and Reid frowned in confusion until the large green bag at the floor beside the couch caught his eye.

"Oh shit! Dani!" Reid realized and dropped to his knees to tend to the lump of blankets pinned between the couch and the coffee table. He lifted a corner of the coffee coloured blanket to reveal Dani's face. Her hand was already raised and she was rubbing the side of her head and Reid briefly closed his eyes as the wave of guilty washed over him.

"What the hell…" Dani mumbled with a hoarse, sleep-filled voice. Her dark hair was sticking out in nearly every direction and her eyes were half closed under her confused frown as she struggled to sit up from the awkward position.

"Sorry! I, uh… I thought there was… I forgot that you, um…" He stammered as his face blushed wildly from his stupidity. "What are you doing on the floor??" He asked, directing the question away from him.

Dani slowly sat up, still rubbing her head and studied her surroundings slowly before replying. "I think I was having a bad dream, I must have fell off the couch…" She frowned as she tried to remember, then noticed the plastic pink bat sitting beside Reid on the floor.

"Did you hit me with a bat?!" She exclaimed and pointed to the object beside him. Reid's eyes widened and he stared at the child's weapon silently, not sure how to reply.

"Uh… I thought you were… Well, at first I heard a noise, then um… No one was here, but I felt something move at my feet…" His voice trailed as he spoke, getting quieter as he realized how childish he had been, but when he looked up Dani was smiling half heartedly.

"Thought I was a monster?" She accused lightly and managed to wiggle out of the pinned position and sat back down on the couch as she stifled a yawn.

"I'm sorry I woke you…" She apologized and ran a hand through her dishevelled hair, which in turn made it stick out more.

Reid smiled at her as he watched, she looked half asleep and with her messy hair and rumpled clothes she had fallen asleep in, Reid thought she looked pretty cute.

"Hello?" She waved her hands suddenly in front of his face and he snapped his attention back to her face.

"H-huh?" He asked. He hadn't known she had been talking.

"I asked what time it was…" She replied and he looked at his wrist, cursing after remembering he wasn't wearing a watch, then looked at the clock on the wall to relay the time. He tried to cover the color in his cheeks by turning to grab the fallen bat and pick up the blankets from the floor.

………………………………………………………….

**Please review! Next one should be up soon.  
-A**


	3. A Night Out

**Ok, this one's kind of a cheesy-going out chapter mostly for fun and implications of things to come. Enjoy!**

"I thought we were just going to dinner…" Reid frowned as he put the dried coffee mug back in the cupboard above the sink. Dani was sitting at the breakfast bar on one of the slightly rickety stools as she quickly applied lip gloss and then snapped the small mirror shut before shoving it back into the small purse.

"D said that everyone wanted to go to the bar instead…" Dani replied, a little perplexed herself, but happy to be spending time with people. She decided before she even arrived that she had made the right choice of leaving Nice. She had previously struggled with the difficult idea of selling her Aunt's house, and after must protest from herself and her sister Sophie, she decided it was the best thing to do.

It had been rough, she had many papers to sign after the funeral two months ago and many things to get together before she could leave. The house had sold quickly and Dani had kept the precious keepsakes of her Aunt's to split between herself and her sister, but other than that she had left the house fully furnished for the new tenants. It was a devastating day when she had to hand the keys over and was, once again, on her own.

"Why do you guys call each other 'D'?" Reid speculated as he wiped the counter down after the dishes were all put away. Dani smirked slightly at the sight of Reid cleaning and she wondered if he was only doing it because she was there.

"I don't know…" Dani admitted and paused in a moment of thought. "I don't even remember how it started. But if he ever asks, I'm D #1…"

Reid smiled and looked at her before going back to his cleaning, "Somehow I don't think that would bode well…"

Dani smiled again. She was excited to hang out with the group of people who helped save her life almost a year ago. She liked each one for their own reason and was looking forward to getting to know them better.

"Well, I guess we should call a cab…" Reid admitted fretfully as he looked at the time.

"Don't sound too excited there Spence…" Dani laughed at the almost worried look on his face and hopped down from the high bar stool.

"It's not that.. It's just… Bar outings aren't really my cup of tea…" He replied and rolled the sleeves back down on the white button up shirt he was wearing, with a skinny tie to top it off.

"Cup of tea?" Dani laughed again at his wording and his cheeks turned slightly pink, but he struggled to cover it up as he grabbed the phone off its holder and began dialing a cab number.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Emily!" Dani squealed as her and Reid entered the loud bar and ran up to embrace the brunette in a tight hug. Reid looked on as her and Prentiss began talking about something and he spotted Morgan and nodded, Morgan soon coming over to stand beside Reid.

"Damn, she's pretty hot eh?" Morgan teased as he watched Dani and Prentiss talking passionately about something, using hand gestures and laughing. Dani was simply wearing a pair of jeans with a flashy tank top and matching heels. Reid swallowed hard at Morgan's direct question and tried to think of a way to avert it.

"Speechless, huh?" Morgan laughed and swatted Reid on the back. He frowned at Morgan and shoved his hands awkwardly into his pockets as he looked around the little area where the rest of the team had scouted out before him and Dani had arrived. Garcia was sitting at the small table, talking with JJ and she had gone to much trouble to dress herself up for their night out. It was something the team didn't get to have often, and when they did Reid still had to take second looks at his colleagues in their 'going out' outfits opposed to the normal work clothes he was used to seeing them in.

"Did you want a drink?" Morgan asked Reid as he held up his half empty beer in his direction. Reid shook his head and held a hand up motioning he didn't. It didn't come as a surprise to Morgan, Reid wasn't much of a drinker and he probably had a maximum of two drinks whenever they went out together.

"Well what about your date, maybe you should get her a drink…" Morgan implied and motioned his beer towards Dani who was enveloped in a conversation with Prentiss, Garcia and JJ now. All four girls were talking non-stop and it was almost frightening to see.

"What? She's… She's not my date, why would you say that?" Reid answered frantically, almost horrified at the idea. Just at that moment Dani looked up to the two boys and smiled at the happily, then went back to talking with the girls.

"Well, you guys DID come together…" Morgan pointed out while the smile remained on his face.

Reid swallowed hard again and was thankful for the dim lighting in the bar as he felt his cheeks begin to color.

"No, we came as friends. We're just friends Morgan." He almost squeaked out, but Morgan just laughed and patted him on the back again before moving a few feet forward to the opposite side of the table where the girls were sitting.

"Would you lovely ladies care for a drink?" He questioned with a large smile.

All of the girls gave him their drink of choice and he winked at them before turning away, smiling cockily at Reid as he passed by towards the bar. Reid stood awkwardly for a moment, until Garcia shouted at him and patted the stool beside her, motioning for him to come sit down. He gave a tight smile and moved quickly to the other side of the table.

"How you doing sweetie?" She asked him as she sipped from the red straw of her cocktail drink and offered him a smile.

Reid smiled back, "I'm doing ok. Is Rossi coming at all? I know Hotch won't be, he's got Jack…"

Garcia laughed. "I don't know cookie-bear, but at least we're all here. Between you and Morgan you definitely have quite the choice of ladies here…" She waved her arm towards the other girls, nearly hitting JJ in the head, making her turn around and frown playfully at Garcia.

Reid blushed wildly and was thankful Morgan returned then with four drinks for the girls and handed off a beer to Reid.

"I thought you could relax a little." He mentioned as he set the bottle down in front of him. Reid smiled in thanks as Morgan sat on the stool across from him and jumped in the conversation with the women.

………………

Reid sat silently at the table and fingered the label on his still half full beer bottle as he watched the many people on the dance floor. The bar was getting full and loud conversations were mingling with the music around him. Half an hour ago, Morgan had announced it was time to 'get his groove on' and Dani quickly agreed, followed by Prentiss and JJ who waltzed off after Morgan to the packed dance floor.

"How does he do it?" Reid asked out loud as he saw Morgan dancing away, surrounded by the three girls and two other ones he didn't know.

Garcia looked at him curiously, "How does who do what?" She asked and turned her gaze to where Reid was staring.

"Morgan. He's so relaxed all the time, he's so comfortable around anything…" Reid said, his eyes never leaving the dance floor.

Garcia smiled as she watched her incredibly handsome friend dancing very well to the beat of the music with her friends. She knew what Reid was asking, Morgan was such a ladies man and made it seem so easy. She felt a little bad for the shy, lanky boy beside her because she knew he had trouble socially interacting with others, especially women.

"Honey, that man can make any woman swoon, it's a gift." Garcia replied, settling for a safe answer. Reid nodded, then looked at her curiously.

"How come you're not out there?" He asked and nodded towards the dance floor.

Garcia laughed, "Ah, see as the friend of the incredibly good looking ladies man, it's my job to watch on and make sure no blood sucking hussy tries to put the moves on him. It's a protection thing you see…"

Reid smiled at her answer and accepted it. He knew Morgan and Garcia were really good friends, but he always wondered if there was ever something more there. The constant flirting was an outcome of their outgoing personalities, but inside he knew there was room for more and the only thing holding them back was themselves.

"Ah, speak of the devil…" Reid looked back up to see Morgan walking up to them and collapsed into the chair on the other side of Garcia.

"Man, those girls sure know how to dance." He said and relaxed his muscles which were beginning to ache. He grabbed the beer he had left on the table and took a large swig from it to quench his thirst. "What were you two talking about?" He accused playfully.

"Oh, nothing that concerns you, my handsome little love machine." Garcia replied slyly with a smile and looked at Reid. He gave a little smile back and shifted his eyes around the bar, looking at the many crowds of people.

"Spencer!" A shriek suddenly grabbed his attention and he turned to see Dani running towards their table from the dance floor. "Come on, you have to dance, this song is great!" She stopped short, directly in front of him and grabbed both of his hands in efforts to drag him off the stool. Reid froze in horror and cast a pleading look towards Garcia and Morgan, but they only laughed and shrugged at him.

"Come on! Come dance!" Dani practically demanded and Reid stood, realizing she wasn't going to give up easily. He felt chills travel up his spine which he passed off as fear of dancing as Dani dragged him by the hand to the dance floor.

Morgan and Garcia looked on, unable to control their laughter as Dani placed Reid in the middle of her, Prentiss and JJ and they began to dance around him. Dani constantly danced in circles around him, making Reid stand uncomfortably in the middle, hardly moving a muscle. He snuck a look back to the safe haven of the table where Garcia and Morgan were sitting, but they were only laughing back in his direction.

Reid cast his eyes forward and seen Dani pass his front again as she moved her body to the beat and he looked over her head to Prentiss and JJ who seemed to have moved in their own world of dancing. Reid gulped and just as Dani passed to his right, he dodged left and quickly skitted away from the dance floor, back to his stool in the safe haven.

"Done already, lover boy?" Morgan asked loudly once Reid sat down on the other side of Garcia. Reid looked at Morgan with a slight glare and quickly grabbed his forgotten beer to bring to his lips in hope of a distraction.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Hey, have you guys seen Dani?" It was nearing 2am and the bar was beginning to disperse. Garcia was surprisingly a designated driver for the night, in charge of taking JJ and Prentiss back home seeing as they lived on the way. Reid planned on taking a cab back, but he needed to find Dani first.

"I saw her go into the bathroom, but that was like 20 minutes ago…" Prentiss told him and laughed as JJ ran into the back of her shoe. They had been drinking all night and would be lying if they said they didn't have a good time. It had been so long since the girls had gone out together and they may have gone a little overboard, amusing Morgan to all ends.

"Alright pretty ladies, I got Garcia tucked in to the driver's seat of your fabulous wheels for this evening." Morgan announced as he walked up to the group. He was about to escort the two women outside, but Reid gently grabbed his shoulder, causing him to stop.

"Hey Morgan, I can't find Dani… The girls said they seen her in the washroom like 20 minutes ago, do you think she's ok?" He asked as he kept his voice low. Morgan frowned in a moment of concern, but Prentiss turned around, having heard the conversation.

"Ok, ok. Don't get your panties in a knot, I'll go check on her." She said and departed Morgan's grip as she carefully walked towards the bathroom. Reid looked at Morgan, then JJ in confusion.

"Do girls normally do this kind of thing?" He asked, making JJ laugh.

"Reid, girls hardly ever go to the washroom alone. It's beyond normal that a girl would go to check on another girl in the bathroom…" She replied with an amused tone.

Once Prentiss entered the bathroom, she noticed a couple women at the mirror, drunkenly trying to reapply their makeup and one closed stall door. She bent over, being careful not to fall all the way, and seen a pair of black heels that she was sure were Dani's. She knocked gently on the door and called out her name.

"Dani, are you ok?" She asked gently and heard Dani suck in a quick breath.

"Emily…?" She heard the tentative voice from the other side and frowned curiously.

"Yeah it's me. You ok? Come on out." Prentiss waited for a moment until she heard the door unlock and Dani stepped out and gave her a small smile as she made her way to the sink. Prentiss frowned as Dani's back turned to her as she washed her hands. She noticed the small redness formed around Dani's eyes and immediately wondered if she had been crying.

"You sure you're ok?" She asked again as Dani dried her hands on the paper towel.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" She replied with a frown of confusion at Prentiss' question, making Prentiss rethink what she had just saw. But she forgot about it as Dani made towards the bathroom door and she quickly followed.

"Ok, we're ready!" Prentiss announced after one last look at Dani as they met up with the two boys and JJ. Reid noticed Dani as soon as she walked back and he frowned at her change in happy, excited behaviour from before. She also wasn't really looking any of them in the eyes.

"Hey Dani, you feeling alright…" He asked in concern once she was close enough to hear. She nodded in reply and gave him a brief half hearted smile as she readjusted the tiny purse on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, are we ready to leave?" She asked and looked at Morgan who nodded and held his arms out for Prentiss and JJ to grab on to as he escorted them outside.

Reid kept stealing glances at Dani as they waited on the sidewalk for the cab and Morgan loaded the other two girls into Garcia's awaiting car.

"You sure you're ok cabbing it with them?" Garcia asked out the opened passenger's side window over JJ. "You know I can squeeze you in too, sugar."

Morgan smiled and winked at her as he closed the door but shook his head. "I gotta make sure lover boy can get home safe with his date." He replied, but the comment went unheard to Reid and Dani.

Once Garcia left, the other three hailed a cab soon after. Morgan helped Dani into the backseat and as he did, Reid made a beeline for the front, but Morgan held his arm out to stop him.

"Uh uh uh… You sit in the backseat with your… Friend. This front seat here is reserved for moi." Morgan said loudly and snuck into the front, leaving Reid to the opened door in the back.

"Morgan, you just said me in French!" Dani shouted from the back as Reid slid in. She was sitting in the middle, leaving little room for Reid to squeeze in and close the door.

"I'm so proud!" Dani giggled and reached forward to squeeze Morgan's shoulder excitedly.

Reid gave the driver his home address and sat back into the seat as he looked over at Dani. She had a large smile plastered on her face again and looked at him with a happy expression as she too sat back as the car began to drive off. He smiled back at her, but tried to determine the dramatic change from her mood only minutes ago when she retreated from the bathroom inside the bar. He sat silent for most of the ride thinking as Dani and Morgan carried on a conversation the rest of the way.

**-A/N: Please review! I'm not sure if anyone is reading this anymore, or if they are I don't know if you guys are liking it. So I ask that you please review if you are reading, it really makes us writers know how you feel about our work and drive us to write more!**


	4. Late Night Talks

**Ok, here's the next one. Thanks SO much for those of you who reviewed, I will definitely keep up with this story. I appreciate the reviews, please keep them coming. Any ideas or suggestions are also welcome!**

Reid pulled on a plain white t-shirt to go with the navy coloured pyjama pants he was already wearing. Normally he wore only boxers to bed, but that was before he had company over and especially after last night, he was glad for having pj pants to wear. The thought of running out of his room last night with the pink baseball bat ran through his mind and he kicked the bat, which was now lying on the floor, under his bed out of sight.

He pulled the comforter down on his perfectly made bed and heard the bathroom door open next to his bedroom. Dani had immediately excused herself to go to the bathroom as soon as they got back, telling him she needed her comfy clothes and needed to 'take her face off'. Reid had frowned in confusion at the comment, but she only laughed and pointed to the makeup on her face that she had applied before going out.

Reid struggled for a moment with the clasp on his watch as he stood in front of his dresser when he heard a quiet knock on his door.

"Hello?" He called out. It was weird having to answer out to someone in his normally empty apartment. He had to admit, it was a little nice to have someone to answer to.

"Hey…" Dani opened the door a crack. "Are you decent?"

Reid froze for a moment, wondering what would have happened if she had barged in while he was naked. He forced the thought out of his mind and shook his head to himself.

"Yeah, come on in." He replied and Dani pushed the door open all the way and smiled as she entered.

"Nice jammies." She nodded to his outfit and smiled, making Reid blush slightly as he turned away to set his watch on the dresser. She too, was wearing her pyjamas now, purple plaid pj pants with a light grey matching tank top.

"You're not tired are you?" She blurted out and jumped on his bed, then picked up one of his pillows to prop against the wall to lean against. Reid cringed for a brief moment, hoping he hadn't drooled on that pillow the night before. She seemed to be comfortable in his surroundings, but the thought of her finding something embarrassing was still settled in the back of his mind.

"Nah, I'm not that tired. Even though it's…" He quickly picked up his discarded watch from the dresser. "2am."

Dani smiled as she crossed her ankles and patted the bed beside her. She was sitting against the wall on top of the comforter and Reid hesitated for a second before cautiously sitting on the bed, mirroring Dani's position beside him.

"Did you have fun tonight?" She asked sincerely as she turned his head to him.

Reid nodded in reply, "The team doesn't get to go out much like that, so it was nice. Even though Hotch or Rossi weren't there, it was still good to be out with the rest of them."

Dani nodded, but didn't say anything. Reid snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye as the thought of her fallen face coming out of the bathroom in the bar crossed his mind.

"…Did you have fun?" He asked cautiously.

"Yeah! Your friends are awesome. Morgan's quite the dancer, although I don't think I can say the same about you…" She glared playfully at him, referring to earlier in the night where she dragged him on to the dance floor and he had made his quick escape.

Reid blushed slightly as she glared at him. "I'm not much of a dancer… It's not really-"

"Your cup of tea?" Dani finished for him and laughed, but Reid only swatted her with the pillow in his lap.

"I use that expression once, and now I'm never going to hear the end of it…" He muttered and placed the pillow behind his back for more comfort.

Dani laughed softly as she slid down more on the bed, so that only her head was resting against the propped up pillow. She fell silent for a moment and Reid noticed her playing with the corner of his comforter. From Reid's profiling knowledge he could tell that she had something on her mind.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked tentatively, wondering if he would regret the question. Dani turned her head to look up at him and gave him a wobbly smile before looking back down to the comforter.

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked sincerely, but wouldn't look him in the eye. He nodded, then after realizing she wasn't looking, spoke up.

"Sure.."

Dani took a breath and fiddled with the blanket as she thought for a moment.

"Do you ever remember anything about your dad?" She finally asked, taking Reid off guard. He nearly choked on his own spit at the question, and frowned, not sure where the question came from or how he should answer.

"Uh.." He started, then cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. They had talked a lot over emails and online messenger for the past year while she had been living in France, but it was easier then. Reid found he could tell her about anything through the letters on his keyboard, and he did. Even though he didn't admit it, he had told her things not even the members on his team knew about him. But now, as she stared up at him with those intense green eyes, he became nervous. It was a lot more intimidating to talk about personal things when you were face to face with that other person, opposed to typing it in a letter.

"Well, yeah I guess. I mean, he left when I was 10 so I remember a lot of things, hardly any of them good…" He admitted as the thoughts of the late night fights between his mom and dad flew through his mind.

Dani nodded slowly and tried to smile before turning her gaze back down to the comforter, "My dad left us when I was 7. Sophie was just born and he walked out. All I remember is all the alcohol bottles that were always in the garbage. I remember my dad telling me it was his… 'Special water'. I didn't know any better, I was just a kid, but I was never allowed to touch them."

Reid pressed his lips together, feeling sympathy for her. He knew that her father had left her family as well when she was younger and he also remembered her mentioning he was an alcoholic, but it wasn't a subject she had talked a lot about.

"You know, 85% of children under 10 with an alcoholic parent don't realize that alcoholism is a problem." Reid pointed out in attempts for comfort. Dani let out a quick, soft laugh and looked him in the eye.

"Did you know that alcoholism is 40% genetic and that children of alcoholics are more likely to become alcoholics themselves?" Dani shot back in attempts to be sarcastic, but it had come out more solemn.

Reid frowned lightly as he looked at her. He DID actually know that statistic, and he could relate to what Dani was saying considering his mother's problem with schizophrenia was nearly twice as likely to pass through to genetics. It was something he had worried about most of his life.

"But that statistic about children of alcoholics more likely to become alcoholics is really only feasible if they're in the same environment for over 10 consistent years." Reid replied with determination.

Dani gave a small smile at his attempts and sat for a moment to think about it.

She really wanted to tell him about the nightmares she had been having, about the stress of losing her aunt and having to sell all of her belongings by herself. She wanted to talk about the fact that her modelling period in France had brought her into a brief whirlwind of ups and downs and alcohol and drugs. She wanted to tell him about the nightmares and that the only way she could seem to stop them lately is from the little bag of pills in her luggage.

The same little bag she had taken with her to the bar, and the same pill that she had taken moments before going to the bathroom because she had started to feel the effects of the alcohol. The alcohol that sent her into a whirlwind of terrible memories from her early childhood and her father. When she began to feel drunk and something somebody had said triggered a thought of her father, she felt disgusted with herself. But she didn't want to stress out, she couldn't have a breakdown in front of Spencer and his friends.

Reid sensed something was wrong, but he couldn't place it. His lack of social knowledge was his blame for not knowing what to say, but Dani didn't seem to mind as she laid in silence. After minutes had passed he was about to bring up another random statistic regarding alcoholic parents, but when he turned to face her, he clamped his mouth shut. Her head was tilted slightly to the side and her eyes were closed as her chest slowly rose with each breath she took. She had fallen asleep in Reid's bed.

_In my bed… _The sudden realization hit Reid and his palms seemed to sweat suddenly, but he swallowed the lump in his throat and debated whether or not he should go sleep on the couch for the night. His original plan, being the gentleman his mother had raised, was to give Dani the bed and he would take the couch, but she wouldn't have it.

He carefully grabbed the edge of the comforter and pulled it over her gently. She shifted a little as he slowly slid towards the edge of the bed, after deciding to sleep on the couch for the night.

"Please don't go…?" Dani's quiet statement had sounded more like a question and Reid looked back to see her eyes still closed, but she was now laying on her side.

"You don't have to stay on the couch, I swear I won't bite. It's just… Nice to have someone around…" She explained tiredly and suddenly Reid's mind trailed back to almost a year ago. Back to when the team was in Seattle, working on Dani's case and she had told him the hotel room that he made her feel safe. She didn't outwardly say it this time, but Reid could feel that it was what she was implying. She seemed almost shielded more than before, like she was forcing herself to put up a front.

Reid nodded and slowly moved his way back to the bed after shutting the light off, casting the room in complete darkness. He pulled the comforter and laid on his back, his body was rigid and tense due to the fact he was right next to a beautiful woman in his own bed.

_She's your friend, for god's sake… _He cursed himself. He felt Dani shift slightly as the mattress moved and he was sure he heard her softly mutter a thanks for him staying with her. He smiled in response in the darkness, then continued to stare at the dark ceiling in though until the fatigue won him over.


	5. Confessions

**Ok folks, here's the next one. Little bit angsty, but it had to be done. Please review and let me know what ya think!**

Dani tightened her grip on the opening of her sweater as she walked briskly down the street. The wind was blowing lightly, bringing a chill to her body and she was suddenly glad she decided to bring a sweater along for the walk.

It was early. She had woken up before the sun had begun to rise and Spencer had been sleeping soundly beside her. She had smiled to herself when she heard him shift when she escaped the warmth of the large bed and he let out string of sleepy murmurs and snorted quietly.

Once she had tiptoed quietly out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her, she slipped on a pair of old, faded jeans and a t-shirt, then noticed a zip up hoody that must have been Spencer's laying on the back of one of the kitchen stools. She slipped it on and grabbed his discarded keys from the table and picked her wallet and cell phone from her purse, then headed out the door. She was up so early and decided to make herself useful and show some thanks to Spencer for letting her stay here.

There was another underlying reason for the walk, Dani thought as she smiled at a passerby on the nearly deserted street. Something shook her violently from her peaceful sleep and she laid frozen in fear for minutes on end until she had realized where she was. It had almost been painful to lie so still, not even being able to breathe while she had silently searched her brain for her surroundings.

The small bells jingled above the door as she walked into the small market Spencer had taken her the day before. He told her he had some things he needed to get and for her to stay at the apartment, but after much pleading he finally let her tag along. Now, she was glad she had pried so much.

She smiled at the older man behind the counter at the front of the small grocery store, giving a silent thanks that the older, foreign couple opened shop so early in the morning.

She picked up a basket and began to walk the aisles, placing various breakfast making ingredients inside because she was sure Spencer only had coffee and sugar under his breakfast foods back at the apartment. She was just debating between buttermilk pancakes or plain ones when the sharp ring of her cell phone began to go off inside the pocket of the too-big sweater she had on. She cursed softly and fumbled for the phone as she juggled the basket in her other hand, thinking it was Spencer calling to wonder where she was, even though she left a note in case he woke up.

She frowned as she studied the caller ID, telling her the caller was an "Unknown Number".

"Hello?" She answered, having finally flipped the cell phone open. She stood in confusion at the silence on the other end and for a moment thought she hadn't answered in time. She held the phone forward only to notice the call was still connected, then brought it back up to her ear.

"Hello??" She asked again. "Sophie?" When no one answered, she rolled her eyes as she remembered her cell phone was still registered under her number in France. It was probably one of her friends back in Nice calling, explaining the Unknown Number.

"Bonjour? Qui est cela?" She asked, wondering who her caller was. When no one answered a sudden rush of fear ran through her body and she unconsciously looked around the store, but there was only her, another older lady doing her morning shopping and the man behind the counter.

Her heart began beating fast inside her chest and it suddenly became hard to swallow. Taking one last glance at the older man at the counter, who was now ringing the older woman's groceries through, Dani turned her back to them and pressed the phone hard towards her ear.

"Who is this.." She demanded quietly.

More silence answered her and she was about to hang up when the sudden low voice came through on the other end that ran shivers along her spine.

"…I'm no joke. And I will find you…" She was sure she heard the low voice rumble before hanging up on her.

She stood frozen for a full minute with the cell phone still pressed against her ear, not even registering the ringing bells above the door as the old lady exited the store. Her heart clambered uncontrollably and she felt her palms begin to sweat as she tried to swallow the large, dry lump that had formed in her throat.

She finally managed to bring her arm down and close the cell phone slowly. It was too much, she didn't need this, not now, not all over again. She began to reach for her purse, she needed some kind of relief, she needed a distraction, she needed the pills. But when she reached for her purse and it wasn't there she cursed out loud remembering she left it at the apartment.

Readjusting her grip on the basket, she threw the box of buttermilk pancake mix in and made her way to the counter. She struggled to be friendly and reply to the older man's chit chat as he rang her through, but she couldn't even register what he was saying and handed him over some money, then took the bags and stepped into the chilly wind. This time, she didn't hold the sweater closed, the breeze felt nice. She needed some fresh air.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Reid walked bleary eyed around the kitchen, mindlessly following his routine of making coffee as he tried to shake off the remains of sleep from his brain. The smell of the brewing coffee helped wake his senses as he re-read the note that was left beside the coffee pot from Dani. It was funny how she placed it exactly where he went to first after waking up.

_Gone to get some fixings for breakfast. Be back soon.  
-D_

Breakfast. It wasn't a meal Reid ate often, actually he hardly knew the word seeing as the only thing he downed into his body in the mornings was endless cups of coffee. Breakfast sounded nice, and he was truly touched that Dani had thought of making it for them.

He fingered the note that had been scribbled on a napkin and thought about the fact that the girl he had become such good friends with was now staying with him at his apartment. The lingering thought entered his mind again from the last time they had seen each other. It was something he had thought about quite a bit, the fact that this beautiful woman had kissed him. He nearly drove himself crazy wondering what could have happened if it had not been for the bomb that broke through the window of the hotel room.

He would have tempted the thought more, but his full bladder reminded him angrily that he had not gone to the bathroom yet. He put the note back down beside the filling coffee pot and made his way towards the bathroom. He was half way there, but his lack of coffee threw off his perception and he tripped over Dani's bag that had been laying on the floor.

He cursed out loud as the contents spilled onto the floor and he caught himself, bracing the wall before falling to the floor himself. He sighed out loud at his clumsiness and crouched to the floor as he began to pick up the contents of Dani's purse. There was keys, sunglasses, makeup, some receipts, and…

Reid frowned as he picked up the tiny plastic bag and held it up for closer inspection. There were nearly two dozen little white tablets inside and he stared at them in confusion, wondering if Dani was on some kind of medication.

_Medication comes in bottles or blister packs… _Reid countered his previous thought and he turned the bag over, noticing a small symbol engraved into each of the pills. He shifted his feet from under him and sat on the hard floor, staring at the bag in confusion.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Dani unlocked the door to Reid's apartment and entered quickly, shutting the door behind her and locking it. She let out a breath she hadn't know she was holding and leaned against the closed door for a moment before kicking off her shoes and tossing Spencer's keys onto the small stand.

When she walked into the kitchen Reid was standing there still in his pj's, stirring some sugar into the mug of coffee.

"Morning." He smiled at her in greeting and she tried to smile back at him, but it came out wobbly and unsure. She turned to place the bag of groceries on the counter and pulled the cell phone and wallet from the pocket of Reid's hoody to place beside it.

Reid couldn't ignore the strange feeling that rushed through him as he looked at her, wearing one of his favourite sweaters. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was strange to him. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew it was something he liked. But he couldn't dwell on it for too long because of the troubled expression he seen on Dani's face as she walked in. She was acting flustered, taking one item from the grocery bag to set on the counter, then reaching into the cupboard to get a glass which she filled up with water, then set it on the counter without taking a drink.

"Everything ok?" Reid asked tentatively as she left the kitchen and he watched her go into the living room, bending down to reach for her purse on the floor.

"Uh, yeah. Everything's fine." She replied quickly and rustled through her purse feverishly in search for something.

"What are you looking for?" He asked slowly and stepped to the space between the kitchen and living room as he watched her fumble with the contents inside the bag.

"Oh, um.. Just something, it's not important…" She replied without looking up and Reid bit his lip nervously as he reached into the pocket of his pyjama pants and pulled out the small bag he had found earlier.

"Is it this…?" He asked quietly making Dani spin around to face him. He watched her face as she stared in confusion at his hand, then her face transferred to a frown as she looked into his eyes.

"Where did you find that?" She practically demanded and set her purse carefully back to the floor before looking up at him again.

"Um, it was in your purse…" He replied sheepishly. She closed the space between them and grabbed the contents from his hand.

"You went through my things??" She asked in disbelief. Her eyebrows knitted together as she stared at one of the very few people she truly trusted.

Reid looked back in shock, "What? No! I.. I didn't go through it, I tripped over your bag, and um… When I went to put the stuff away, I… I just, um…" He stammered nervously and his cheeks pinkened under the intense scrutiny of the woman he had become so close with over the past year.

Dani sighed loudly and bit her lip as the realization hit her and her eyes began to well with heavy tears threatening to spill over any moment.

Reid's eyes widened at the sight and he immediately regretted finding the bag as he watched the girl in front of him slowly come apart. She collapsed to the floor and shoved the bag angrily away, then brought her hands up to her face as the tears flowed over. Reid quickly moved forwards, sitting down on the floor in front of her and was at a sudden loss for words.

"I.. I can't deal with it…" Dani muttered through the gasps for breath as the sobs racked through her body. Reid felt helpless as he stared at her, trying to think of a way to comfort her, but could only reach out and gently stroke her arms.

"With what…?" He asked cautiously and waited patiently as she sniffled and took a few deep breaths to get herself together.

"The nightmares… The note…" She rattled off and wiped the wetness from her cheeks with the sleeve of his sweater she was still wearing.

"Dani, the note… It doesn't seem valid, we think it's just-" Reid began, thinking he was on the right track to reassure her, but Dani began shaking her head at his response.

"That's what you guys said, but it isn't true! It's not!" She replied, with her voice cracking uncontrollably from the emotion trembling through her body. "You said it was a joke, you said it wasn't him. He called me, Spencer. He called when I was in the grocery store."

Reid frowned as he looked at her, "Who called you?" He demanded.

Dani sniffed again and looked up at him as she pointed to her cell phone back in the kitchen somewhere.

"The guy." She stressed. "He said that he wasn't a joke and that he would find me. He said he would find me Spencer!"

Reid looked on with worry as he fingered the packet of drugs.

"Dani, we can't be sure this person is out to get you… Your cell phone is still registered under your number in Nice, right? So whoever called could still think you live there… He has no idea where you are right now." He said in hopes the words would comfort her in some way.

She nodded slowly and wiped her eyes with the already soaked sleeve of Reid's sweater, then laughed softly as she held it up.

"I'm sorry about the sweater…" She offered a little shamefully.

Reid smiled at her, "It's ok… It needed washing anyways…" He assured, but held up the baggy a little while looking at it instead of her.

"How long have you…?" He left the question undirected, but she understood immediately.

"Practically since a month after I moved back to France." She admitted quietly, but wouldn't look him in the eye. "I couldn't take the nightmares anymore. It helps."

Reid nodded knowing all too well the feeling. "Listen, I haven't told you this before, but uh… A while ago, there was this case. And I was held captive with the unsub… He forced Dilaudid into me throughout the time he had me, before we uh… Before the team rescued me. I… I kept the viles and found myself injecting it into my own body, just because it… It helped me remember and it…" Reid let out a loud sigh, realizing it wasn't easier talking about as time passed by. "I got addicted for a bit. People began to notice something was wrong, it was affecting my performance at work and… I got help."

Dani frowned as she listened intently to his brief overview, her red rimmed eyes still glistening from the moist tears.

"I… I go to weekly meetings… I've been clean for about a year and a half now… You should come with me sometime, it might help…" He shrugged at the offer and continued to stare down at the pills in his hand.

Dani shook her head feverishly at the thought. "I can't. I… I can't." She replied quickly, but with force. Reid nodded his head, understanding, but still couldn't bring himself to look at her. He claimed it was from the conversation, but in the back of his mind he figured it was because it hurt to see her upset.

"In Nice it's called _ailes d'ange_…" She supplied offhandedly and motioned towards the drugs.

"Wings of Angels…" Reid murmured in confirmation and nodded slowly, receiving a very puzzling look from Dani.

"How did you…" She replied, her expression turned baffled.

Reid looked up at her and smiled a little sheepishly. "I studied some French while you were away…" He admitted and Dani gave him a small smile as her face softened.

"…Do you think it's him…?" Dani brought up the question she had been avoiding as she drew her knees protectively up to her chest.

Reid frowned as he shrugged his shoulders. "I… I don't know. We can't assume anything until we can look into it further… But I don't think it would be a good idea for you to be going anywhere by yourself until we figure it out…"

Dani nodded slowly in agreement and she suddenly found herself filling with fear at his words. They only made everything seem more real and the realization hit her again as the tears slowly fell down her cheeks. This time she leaned forward and Reid wrapped his arms around her, finally finding something he felt was truly a comforting gesture.


	6. Temporary Solutions

"Let me see the note again…?" Reid asked as he frowned in thought. Dani rummaged through the canvas tote she had with her and pulled out the over-read typed sheet of paper.

She studied Reid as his eyes skimmed surprisingly quickly over it, then started at the top to do it again. She knew he could read insanely fast, but it was still a little surprising to watch. They were seated together, squished was the more operative word, on the over-packed subway train as it sped through the underground tunnel.

That morning, Dani was already up when Reid woke. He stepped into the kitchen to find her already sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee and he had actually sighed out loud at the smell of it just after waking up. He didn't have a timer on his coffee machine, so he was forced to make it first thing in the mornings while still half asleep. But that morning Dani was already up and dressed and had a pot ready, the delicious smell filling the entire department. Reid almost ran over and kissed her right there. Almost.

After he showered and got dressed for work, he suggested Dani come with him. He not only just had one set of keys to the apartment, but he didn't feel that she should be anywhere by herself until they figured out what the deal with the note was. Part of Reid felt that it could just be a friend messing with her because the facts didn't match up with the case they had dealt with before. The notes were different, more impersonal, and if it was the same guy who had called her, that was a new one too. Then there was the other part of him that had a bad feeling about the whole thing. He hoped the latter part of him was wrong, but wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he did nothing and it turned out to be true.

"Anything..?" Dani asked just as the subway slowed at the next stop and a man in the aisle way pushed past the people, bumping her by accident on the way past. She was pushed into Reid a little forcefully, making him hit the side of the subway, and Dani muttered an apology to him as she turned to glare at the passerby's back.

"Well…" Reid began as he recomposed himself and looked at the letter again. "I know the poem is _Silence _by Edgar Alan Poe. There's different analysis' of the poem, some say that it's dealing with the power of the human psyche and that the mind has the ability to be either good or evil. Some say that it's talking about the dangers of isolation and what the unconscious mind will do if you break your line of demarcation. And if you isolate yourself, you can go mad from it and if you know what isolation will do, then you should urge yourself to God. Then there's another theory…"

Dani watched on, she seemed to have shut out all of the clambering of the train and the many voices of those around her to listen to Spencer's words.

"What's the other theory…?" She said in a whisper and seemed to have leaned in slightly, as if anyone who heard their conversation would be damned or think that they were truly nuts.

Reid looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but sighed and continued once he seen Dani's prying green eyes. "The other theory illustrates the side of Silence worth fearing is death. Death is the ultimate silence, and it can be interpreted to be saying you should not fear death. And the poem is telling the reader, or the recipient that they are the 'Nameless Elf'. And if that's true, then you're the Nameless Elf and…" Reid stopped for a moment and looked at her briefly in the eyes before looking away and letting out a large sigh before continuing. "Then he's telling you to face him and 'commend yourself to God'…"

Dani sat silently for a moment as the slightest line creased her forehead in thought. "So he wants me dead…" She concluded softly then sat back into the hard chair to face the front of the subway car.

"Er… That's ONLY if he's apt to that theory… And if he's doing the same thing as… As before…" Reid replied quickly, yet cautiously, his voice lowering as the comment ended. Reid had stayed up a good part of the night thinking about all of it. The attacker from before was dead, he seen the burned body himself on the scene of the car accident. It couldn't be him, so who was sending Dani the notes? It worried him that whoever it was had called her cell phone, but offered some sense of comfort in that Dani's phone was still registered under her number in France, so the guy must have thought she was still there.

And then there were the drugs. He didn't want to admit it, but that probably had kept him up just as much as the possibility of another attacker trying to track down Dani. He knew all too well how quick it was to get addicted to something that strong, something that helped so much. After Dani went to bed and Reid couldn't sleep, he had logged on to his computer to do some research on what exactly the drug was since Dani wouldn't talk about it anymore. What he found out was oddly disturbing, it was a form of Opioid, a drug that had a morphine-like effect. Medically, it was used to treat extreme amounts of physical pain. But as Reid had read on, he found something highly concerning. The little tablets Dani had been taking was a pill form version of a drug very similar to Dilaudid. That's when he had to shut off the computer and go back to bed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until the train slowed again and Reid gently tapped Dani on the shoulder and explained that this was their stop. They pushed their way to the door and stepped off the subway, ready to walk the few more blocks to the BAU.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Uh… Ok. How about you, go… Talk with Emily, she should be here, she's always early. I'll go talk to Hotch about…" Reid advised, letting the rest of the sentence hang there as he motioned towards Prentiss' desk. Dani nodded quietly and walked towards the bullpen, surprising Emily again, who quickly offered her a chair to sit on while Reid set his jacket and messenger bag on his chair, then made his way to the stairs.

Agent Hotchner was always early. He was usually there already for an hour before anyone else arrived and Reid had guessed it was because he didn't live with his son or his ex-wife anymore. He guessed Hotch buried himself in his work to try and get his mind off the fact that he had no one to feed in the mornings or clean up or kiss goodbye. As Reid thought this, he suddenly became nervous as he stopped outside Hotch's office and quietly knocked on the door.

Hotch called out, advising whoever was there to come in. Reid opened the door and smiled quickly at him, then closed the door behind.

Hotch looked up quickly, then his gaze fell back down to the papers on his desk. "Reid. Everything ok?" He questioned formally, but had a warming tone to it.

"Uh… Actually… I don't know." Reid replied fretfully as he wrung his hands together, wondering why the office was so hot. "Dani, she um… Well, when she got here on Friday there was kind of another reason for it…"

Hotch looked up from his papers with a confused frown.

"Uhh… She got a note. While she was in France. It… Well, you should just take a look at it…" Reid said as he placed the piece of paper in front of him. He watched as Hotchner's eyes read over the poem, his lips moving slightly as he did.

"Reid, this could be from anyone, the communication is different, it's typed not hand written, more impersonal…" Hotch began, knowing what he was implying and handed the note back to the young team member.

"I know, that's what I thought." Reid quickly agreed. "But yesterday she said she got a call, someone, a male, said that he wasn't a joke and he would find her." Reid continued and noticed the small frowned that passed the supervisor's face, then he quickly covered it up with a shake of his head.

"Reid, the man was dead. We found Jared Foster incinerated in that vehicle ourselves…" Hotch explained, his attention now fully on the young genius.

"I know. But did anyone confirm it by DNA? His face was burned to a degree where he wasn't recognizable and if someone didn't do a follow through with the autopsy-" Reid began spitting out with quick words when another knock at Hotch's door interrupted him.

"Guys? We have a bad one…" JJ announced with the file folders in her hands. She gave them a curt nod and motioned to the boardroom before making her way there to set up.

"Ok, well… Reid, she's with you right now, so as long as you're ok with the responsibility…" Hotch let the sentence hang for a moment, not wanting Reid to sound like a babysitter. "We need to take care of this first. When we're done with this case we can look into this a little further."

Reid nodded as they exited the office. Hotch turned right and headed towards the boardroom, but Reid trotted down the stairs quickly and crouched down beside Dani who was now sitting in his desk chair.

"I… I have to go, um…" Reid pointed a thumb in the direction where the rest of the team was heading down the hall as he rifled through his messenger bag. "Uh, you can stay here at my desk until we're done the briefing, and then we'll… We'll figure something out, ok?"

Dani nodded and offered a smile, making Reid smile back before he quickly skitted after the rest of the team, knowing he was going to be the last to arrive.

"-three kids had been missing, then found practically discarded on the sides of major highways. They went missing approximately two weeks apart and the time between the parents reporting it and the bodies being found was three days." JJ explained as she pressed the button on the remote to flip through the pictures on the projection screen. Reid tiptoed in a quietly closed the door behind him as he slid into one of the chairs on the other side of Morgan.

"Is it bring your girlfriend to work day…?" Morgan whispered in Reid's directions as he kept his eyes on JJ who was still talking.

"Shut up Morgan…" Reid replied as his cheeks blushed slightly. He tried to distract himself with the folder in front of him, this was a new case and it was involving children. He needed to keep his attention intact.

"Hm. Must have missed the memo…" Morgan scoffed with a large smile. Reid shook his head, trying to ignore him as he lost himself in the case file. Another kid had gone missing last night, they all had been between the ages of 7 and 9. He skimmed the page quickly and noticed all of the abductions had been in Philadelphia. They would have to pack up the plane and fly there.

Once the briefing was over and the team was advised to grab their carry-on's and meet at the jet in half an hour, Reid stopped Hotch in the hall.

"Hey Hotch?" He said quietly after the team had dispersed. "Um, about Dani… I don't think she should be alone just in case she isn't safe…" He began, not sure where he was going as he didn't have a solution. He knew Dani wouldn't be cleared to go with them on the case, but he was hoping Hotch had some sort of temporary solution while they were away.

Luckily Hotch nodded after quietly thinking for a moment. "You're right, tell her she can stay here with Garcia for the time being until we get back. I'll go talk to Garcia about it." He nodded and quickly disappeared down the other direction of the hallway towards Garcia's dome of technology. Reid let out a sigh of relief as he made his way back to the bullpen.

-**This one was a little blah, but next one should be better. As always, please review!  
-A**


	7. Helping Out

"Hey PG…" Dani announced as she entered Garcia's dome of technology for about the fifth time that day. She mainly made escapes to the bathroom every couple hours, or offered to grab them some food or coffee from the lunch room down the hall. It was deep into the evening and she had stayed with Garcia all day, finding that she like the blonde analyst even more. They had much in common and their personalities were eerily alike, giving them an instant bond.

"Ahh my little chicka-D, you are indeed the sweetest…." Garcia replied as she gratefully grabbed one of the hot mugs of coffee from Dani. She took a seat in the matching large computer chair and set her own mug down on the desk, careful not to spill any.

"So, when the team is away all night, do you have to stay here?" Dani asked curiously as Garcia struck another knight in the online game she had opened an hour earlier.

"Yup. As you can see I'm quite prepared for said situations." Garcia smiled as she pointed to the small bright red sofa in the corner of the room. There was also a large purple bag beside it, which Dani guessed contained overnight items.

"Do you ever worry about them when they're working on a case so far away?" Dani questioned again, wondering exactly what the team was doing at that moment. They had gone to Philadelphia that morning and Reid had told her they were never sure how long it would take.

Garcia's smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered as she sipped some of the hot coffee. "Honey, I always worry about my boys and girls fighting crime and catching psychotic killers. The only thing that gets me through the time they're away is staying here and making sure I'm available for anything they could possibly need from the room of all knowledge."

Dani smiled at her reply as she drank from her own cup of coffee.

"Now, tell me everything about Reid's apartment. He doesn't let too many people in there. Are the rumours true about piles and piles of books stacked as high as the ceiling? I heard the only furniture he has in there are bookcases…" Garcia pried eagerly, and set her cup back down as she looked at Dani.

Dani laughed at Garcia's wild accusation and shook her head, "No. I mean he's got quite a few books, but nothing like that. Although he does have a pink baseball bat.." Dani frowned playfully as she remembered the night.

Garcia's mouth fell open only to let out a loud laugh. "What?! That thing that Morgan gave him for his birthday?"

Dani giggled, "Yeah, he hit me with it the other night…" She rubbed her head instinctively at the thought.

Garcia laughed again. "Oh, honey that's too funny. What was he doing hitting you with a pink bat? Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, no it's ok." Dani replied with a large smile. She really liked Garcia. Her wild personality was a relief from her stuck up "friends" back in France. With Garcia and the other members of the team, Dani could be herself. "I guess I woke him up one night, I was having a dream and he forgot I was over. He thought I was a burglar or something…"

Garcia giggled delightfully as she stabbed yet another poor knight on the large computer screen. It was nice to have company for once while the team was away.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"I can't understand him, he's terrified and seems to only know the old language…" Prentiss sighed in frustration as she stepped out of the interrogation room to the area behind the one way mirror. Hotch, Morgan and Reid stood in thought as they stared at the older gentleman behind the glass, nervously wringing his hands together as he looked around the empty room.

"He's our only witness…" Hotch said out loud, knowing they already knew, but hoping someone had a solution. They had only four hours left to find the missing child and everyone tried to keep their thoughts away from what the unsub did to the children at the end of the third day.

Prentiss shrugged helplessly, "I could only understand a few words… I know his name and I'm pretty sure he said he moved here only six months ago to open his own store. Other than that, I'm pretty sure he's from the rural areas of France, he's speaking old French."

Hotch sighed loudly and looked at the other three for ideas.

"We don't have enough time to track down a translator in the middle of the night. We have less than four hours for this kid to be found or…" Morgan left the sentence unfinished, trying to ignore the worst outcome of the situation.

"Dani's with Garcia…" Reid finally suggested, even though he didn't want to drag her into it. It was the only solution he could think of that, if it worked, would hopefully give them some kind of clue to where the unsub was with little Davey Truman.

"I'm on it." Morgan quickly replied as he flipped open his cell phone and dialled the familiar number.

"You have reached the woman of great power. What is it you need her wisdom on?" Garcia answered the phone quickly without missing a beat.

"Hey beautiful lady," Morgan greeted with a smile. Her voice always seemed to make him feel a tad better, no matter how gruesome the case they were on. "Listen, we have a witness here. His name is Jean Laurent. He speaks French and Prentiss tried to crack what he was saying, but he seems to be stuck in the past because he only speaks the 'old language' as Prentiss said. He's our only witness…"

"Ahh… I see, so you're wanting our poor, little French _amour _to see if she can decode the witness?" Garcia asked as she spun in her chair to glance at Dani who had fallen asleep on her little sofa about an hour ago. "She's just sleeping on my makeshift bed. She talks in her sleep too, muttering something about elves with no names and giant pills. I was beginning to get a little worried, but she's seemed to have calmed down now…" Garcia rattled on, a little glad to have someone to talk to since Dani had fallen asleep. When she had started to talk in her sleep and move fitfully on her small sofa, Garcia was a little concerned, but passed it off as one of those weird, bad dreams that you wouldn't remember in the morning.

"Baby girl, we have a kid out there and we're kind of running out of time…" Morgan gently reminded her, making Garcia snap back to attention.

"Right. Give me a second." She quickly said and Morgan heard her put the headset down, then the far away voices he guessed was her trying to rustle Dani out of her slumber.

A few minutes later, Garcia came back and announced she was going to put him on speaker phone.

"Hey D, you awake?" Morgan asked, his deep voice filling the small computer room.

"Yeah, yeah, I am now. What's going on?" She asked. Garcia had woken her with a start, but she had no time to connect her now conscious mind with any dreams she was just having because Garcia pulled her quickly to the chair beside hers at the bright computer screens. She was saying something about the case the team was on and how they needed her, leaving Dani in a flurry of confusion as she rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up more.

"Listen, we have a guy his name is Jean Laurent, he's our only witness and we think he came from France six months ago to Philadelphia. He's only speaking French, Prentiss tried to talk to him, but she thinks he's only talking the old language, if you catch my drift…" Morgan quickly explained.

"Did he live in the country in France? They usually speak a mixture of the old language and the more modern version, which is quite different." Dani advised.

"Ok, listen, would you be comfortable talking to him? We think he knows where the unsub took the last boy who was kidnapped. His name is Davey Truman and he's 7 years old." Morgan asked.

"Yeah sure, give him the phone, I'll see what I can do…" Dani frowned slightly. She was fully awake now and her mind was completely alert, realizing she was the one going to hopefully find out a very vital piece of information for the team to find a kidnapped little boy.

Morgan walked into the interrogation room and gave a nod in greeting to the older man sitting at the table. He handed him the cell phone, receiving a confused look from the man, but thankfully he took the cell phone cautiously and held it up to his ear.

Dani introduced herself and asked for his name. She briefly explained the situation of why he was in the room, she assumed the team had been trying to question him at a police station. Luckily she was able to understand the man, who had told her he was 59 years old and worked at a small market store in the area just outside of downtown Philadelphia. She pressed the fact that there was a little boy missing and possibly hurt and asked him if he knew anything about it.

Morgan watched on as the older man talked feverishly into the phone, sending a quick thanks to above that Dani had got him talking. The man was speaking quickly and waving his arms almost wildly as he spoke, and suddenly he stopped to listen, then handed the phone back to Morgan, saying something Morgan couldn't understand, but he gratefully accepted the phone as he stepped out of the room into the area where Hotch, Prentiss and Reid were waiting.

"Tell me you got something good…" Morgan said into the phone as he closed the door.

"Ok, he said he was in the market that he owns when a man walked in about 30-35 years of age and was asked for strange items. Mr. Laurent was a little suspicious of him because he was buying rope and lighter fluid and then he started asking for more odd items. So after he rang him up, he looked out the window and said he saw him going towards an older silver car and that's when he saw the little boy in the back. He couldn't see his face that well, but he said the boy's mouth was taped shut with duct tape. Mr. Laurent knew something was wrong, so he told his wife to mind the store and he quickly ran out to get in his own car to follow the man." Dani explained very quickly as her heart pounded at the idea.

"Please tell me he saw where the guy went…" Morgan asked and suddenly the other three members of the team's ears were at attention as they looked at Morgan with hope.

"He said it was a house on 163rd Street, just past 97th Avenue. He drove past after the car stopped because he didn't want the man to recognize him. Does that make sense?" Dani asked, hoping the address he gave him was correct. She had asked the older man three times to be sure.

"Hell yes it makes sense. We owe you a big one girly. Thanks a lot." Morgan quickly hung up the phone and looked at the three staring at him.

"A house, 163rd Street and 97th Ave. Lets go." He advised and the team quickly broke into action, leaving the older Frenchman in the interrogation room as they ran to their vehicles waiting outside, hoping it wasn't too late for little Davey Truman.

**Ok, this one was a little short (sorry for that). Please review! And again, if anyone has any ideas they would like to see, please let me know!**


	8. Touch Football

**Ok, this one was kind of written just for fun, with a little dun dun dunnn moment at the end. Hope you enjoy! Please click on that little review thingy at the bottom of the page and let me know what you think!  
-A**

"Come on! Wakey, wakey!"

Spencer Reid shot up like lightning once Dani leapt on his bed and shocked him out of the deep sleep he had been having. The look he was giving her made Dani briefly think that she was a ghost, but the look of fear soon turned into a glare that could kill.

"Come on, Spence! We have to be there in an hour and a half… Get out of bed already…" Dani shifted her position to side on her knees next to his laying body and grabbed the cup of fresh coffee from the nightstand she had just placed before leaping on the bed.

"I have coffee…." She bribed and held the cup towards him, which was pointless because he had grabbed the pillow to hold over his head as he tried to burrow further away.

He said something unrecognizable as his face was muffled from the mattress, but Dani thwacked him on the back with the other pillow in response. He mumbled some kind of profanity and rolled slightly away.

Dani pursed her lips, but couldn't help but smile at the man acting like a little kid right in front of her. The team had returned the day before, and Hotch personally thanked Dani for her help and Reid later let her know that they had found little Davey Truman in time. A wave of relief had flowed over her at the thought and she had explained to Reid last night how good it felt to have been able to help.

Suddenly Reid's phone began ringing on the night stand and Dani plucked it quickly from its hiding place and tossed it to set beside Reid's head.

"I bet it's Morgan. He's gonna bitch you out for not being up yet…" Dani commented as she left the high sounded phone beside the pillow and exited the room, leaving the cup of coffee on his night stand.

"Mmmmwhaaa…?" Reid answered groggily with a hint of frustration and finally lifted his head from underneath the pillow. From glancing quickly at his clock he noticed it was not even 8am.

"What in the hell are you still doing in bed? You know we all agreed to meet at 9…" Morgan's sly voice waved from the other line and Reid rubbed his eyes fitfully. "Don't tell me you had a late night… I know Dani's been staying with you and all, but I assumed you were just friends. You old dog, you didn't sleep all night did you? I can only imagine what-"

"I'm up, I'm up…" Reid interrupted quickly and grudgingly threw the covers off his previously cozy warm body.

Morgan chuckled on the other end, "Well you'd better make sure you're ready, Garcia and I are going to be there in less than an hour…"

"Why do we have to do this on our only day off this week…?" Reid grumbled more to himself than Morgan, but it was said loud enough for Morgan to hear.

"Well, it was an idea I had and Dani, being the little trooper she is, thought it was a great idea. Now, you don't have to go. But I just wanted to point out that your 'friend' here will probably be pretty disappointed if you don't…" Morgan aided a little sneakily which made Reid sigh in reply.

"Yeah, about that… Do you really think it's a good idea? I mean, I told you about the call she got on the plane back to Quantico. I don't know if it's wise for her to be out in the open just in case…" Reid advised.

"Reid." Morgan replied reasonably. "She hasn't gotten a call since right? It probably could have been someone just messing with her. Plus, she'll have seven FBI agents with her so I highly doubt if there even WERE someone out there, they wouldn't try anything with us around."

Reid sighed loudly, knowing he was slightly right, but he was still going to make sure Hotch kept his promise come Monday.

"Fine, fine. But don't expect me to play." Reid settled and finally hung up the phone. He laid for a few seconds and stretched his limbs before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and grabbing the still hot cup of coffee from the night stand.

"You're evil…" Reid greeted Dani as he walked into the kitchen, but he smiled through it after Dani grinned at him through the mouth full of toast.

"Why do we have to do this of all things…" He practically whined and already was topping the cup off from the pot of coffee still on the warming plate. "It's my day off I should be able to relax…"

"Oh come on, Spence. It'll be fun. I promise." She grinned again and Reid tossed her a napkin as he laughed at the jam spread along her cheek.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Ok, the rules are as follows…"

Morgan spun the football in his hands before adjusting the sideways baseball cap on his head. The rest of the team had finally arrived at the large dog park, which had vast areas of flat, grass covered land, illegal to build commercial property on.

Dani stood eagerly awaiting to begin the game. She hadn't played football since she was about 16, but knew how much fun it was. She was glad the sun was shining and besides the small wind, it was a really nice day. Reid stood stubbornly with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he frowned in Morgan's direction while he explained the rules of touch football.

"Now, since I brought the football, naturally I'm a captain and…" Morgan's eyes fell instantly on Reid and he smiled deviously. "Reid here is the other captain."

He tossed the football suddenly to Reid, who was caught off guard and fumbled the football to the ground after it bumped off his chest. He glared at Morgan again and stood beside him, wondering if this was better than always being picked last in his gym classes back in school.

"Ok, well I get to pick first…" Morgan announced and pointed immediately to Dani. "You. Get on over here." Dani smiled and pranced her way to Morgan, playfully shoving him in the process.

After the teams were divided up, Morgan had Dani, Prentiss and Rossi. Reid had chosen Hotch, Garcia and JJ, which evened the teams out on males and females.

"Alright, lets start off!" Morgan announced happily and tossed the ball to Hotch, who quickly discussed a play with his team. It was nice for the team to be together on an outing outside of work and they were all determined to have some fun.

"Blue 92. Blue 92. Hut, hut!" Hotch called out jokingly before tossing the ball to Garcia behind him before taking off towards the other team. Garcia held onto it for a moment before the sight of a very fast, very beefy Derek Morgan yelled out and began coming after her. She squealed loudly and tossed the ball sideways to JJ who thankfully caught it and began taking off down right field.

"J-" Dani began to call out without finishing her name before JJ ducked right, then spun left before dodging past her and breaking through Prentiss and Rossi on her way to a touchdown. She threw the ball down and squealed in delight as she jumped in the air.

"Lucky run…" Morgan muttered as he made his way back to midfield. "JJ, where the hell did you learn to play like that?"

JJ flashed him a winning smile as she passed, "I WAS a crazy obsessed soccer player through school and might have had a little experience with a football now and then…"

She high fived her team before setting up for another play.

"Ok Prentiss, you ready?" Morgan called out to the brunette standing behind him. She nodded her head as she rolled up the sleeves on her sweatshirt and gave a side glance to Dani who gave her a wink in reply.

"Hut, hut, hut!" Morgan tossed the ball behind and Prentiss caught it effortlessly as Dani tore off down the field a ways before turning to face Prentiss. She quickly through the ball, just as Hotch reached her and tagged her on the shoulder. Dani held out her arms, ready to catch it, but Garcia suddenly jumped in front of her as if out of nowhere and thwacked the ball off its course to Dani's awaiting hands.

"Garcia!!" Dani shrieked as she tumbled towards the blonde on her way to the fallen ball. She stopped her before she made it, but as they both looked up, they seen the ball stopped at Reid's feet. He looked down at them with a look of shock and confusion until Garcia yelled at him.

"Run, Reid!!" She squealed as Dani pulled on her arms, the rules of the game seeming to fly right out the window.

Reid suddenly flashed into gear as he picked the ball up and began running slowly in the other direction. Dani cursed and released her grip on Garcia before tearing after Reid. He casually looked over his shoulder and when he seen Dani running at full force towards him, he jumped in slight fear then went full speed towards the goal line.

Even with Dani being a fast runner, Reid got there much before her and smiled to himself as he realized he just made his first touchdown ever. His heart was racing and he was trying to catch his breath, but the feeling was incredible until he turned to see Dani still running full force in his direction. He frowned quickly, for a moment wondering if he had ran to the wrong end of the field like he had done one time before, but his team was cheering on the other end.

"Dani, what are-" He squeaked just before she slammed into him, tackling him down to the ground roughly, the ball popping out from between them and rolling to a stop a few feet away.

"OW! What the hell..?" Reid cried in pain at the girl laying on top of him.

"You… Didn't… Make… It…" She grunted and suddenly began squirming on top of him, struggling to pull herself off and it took Reid a moment before he realized she was going towards the discarded football.

"What?" He questioned, then looked up and realized the imaginary line they drew out with two water bottles was still two feet away, signalling his shortness from a touchdown.

"No!" He cried out suddenly and grabbed Dani's leg and gave a good tug, just pulling her out of reach from the football.

"Let me go, it's mine!" Dani squealed and struggled harder to reach the football as Reid pulled harder and tried to climb over her to get to it first.

"What are they doing…?" Prentiss asked as she stopped to catch her breath. Morgan walked up beside her and watched on, then laughed softly.

"Give them a few minutes, it'll be good for them." He replied and crossed his arms in front of his chest just as Rossi came up to stand beside them.

"Are they still playing football or is this another game I wasn't aware of…" He commented between gasps of breath. He sure wasn't the young lad he used to be, but it was actually nice to pretend he was while playing touch football with the other members of the team.

"Reid!" They heard Dani scream again and turned their heads to see Reid sitting on Dani's back, pinning her down as he stretched his long, lanky arm towards the football and grabbed it with one hand. He then practically jumped to his feet and dove the few feet to pass the goal line, tumbling a little before landing on his back and holding the football into the air.

"I did it!" They heard him yell in accomplishment as his chest heaved up and down to catch his breath. Dani chucked a hunk of dirt at him as she rolled onto her own back a few feet away and cursed out loud.

"Reid! I've never seen you move like that, where on earth did you learn how to run so fast??" Morgan demanded as everyone made their way to the end of the field where Dani and him were laying.

"I'm only good at running if I'm being chased…" Reid replied meekly and grabbed the hand Morgan was offering to help him up.

"You got a little grass in your hair.." Morgan teased as he nodded to the top of Reid's head. His cheeks flushed slightly as he brushed the top of his head off with his hand, then looked at Dani who was being helped up by Hotch.

"You got lucky this time…" She glared playfully at him as she brushed the legs of her jeans when the bursting sound of a cell phone in the distance broke the conversation.

"Oh, that's me.." Dani announced and jogged off towards the team's discarded personal items. Dani found her jacket and dug in the pocket to find her cell phone.

She turned it over to study the caller ID and her heart seemed to stop as she realized the flashing notion of an _Unknown Caller_.


	9. Unknown Caller

**Sorry it took so long for me to post this one! It's a bit of a dud, but please review anyways! Any reviews are much appreciated.**

Dani couldn't seem to move as she stared at the ringing cell phone in her hand.

_Unknown Caller_

She felt her heart beating faster by the second and her hand started to shake as the sight of the phone began to blur. She couldn't seem to catch her breath as she struggled to blink away the blurry lines blocking her vision. Before she knew it, the darkness slowly closed in and enveloped her.

…………

"Dani!... Dani, wake up…."

She struggled to open her eyes, but it was so much easier to keep them closed. The voices, she kept hearing the voices coaxing her to wake, but she couldn't quite place them.

Her head hurt. She suddenly felt the pierce of pain travel from the back of her head, down her neck and she was vaguely aware she was on the ground.

"Dani, wake up!" The voice cried again.

She heard another one soon after, "I thinks she fainted, she could have hit her head. Should we call an ambulance??"

An ambulance. No, she couldn't go to the hospital, not again. She needed to get up and face her demons. Her mind was slowly coming to, and she suddenly remembered the cell phone that was previously in her hand.

Her eyes fluttered as she slowly came to and she heard the voices beckoning around her.

"Wait, wait, I think she's coming to. Dani! Dani, wake up…"

It was Spencer. She finally recognized one of the voices and her eyes opened to a blurry vision of a circle of heads staring down at her from above.

"What happened..?" She croaked. Her voice was strained and she seen Spencer knelt on the ground next to her. Even through the blurry vision, she could see the wave of relief that passed through him.

"We think you fainted, are you ok?" Rossi's concerned voice finally answered from above and Dani briefly closed her eyes again as she slowly sat up, Reid quickly helping her as she rubbed the back of her head.

"The phone…" Was Dani's only reply and she looked around with a tinge of panic for the fallen cell phone. The others looked at her curiously, but Dani's eyes landed on Reid's. Her vision was now clear and the headache forgotten, but Reid seen a small bit of fear in the emerald eyes staring at him.

"I think it was him. My phone, it said Unknown Caller… That's what it said the last time I talked to… When he…" Dani stammered, but wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying as she scanned the grass for where her phone landed.

Reid reached behind him and saw the silver object a few feet away. He reached out to grab it and held it in front of him for study.

"Are you sure it was him…?" Reid asked carefully then caught the eye of Hotch who was staring right back at him. Hotch nodded at the look Reid was giving him, perhaps he didn't believe that it was much of a case until now.

Dani struggled to think for a moment, "Well I'm not sure… But I just remember looking at the ID and when I seen it was an Unknown Caller, I… I just…"

Prentiss crouched down then and put a comforting hand on Dani's shoulder as she smiled down at her.

"Don't worry, we're here. We'll help you figure this out." She said with a soothing tone that made Dani smile back at her.

"Uh, it says you have a voicemail…" Reid suddenly spoke and pointed to the phone in his hands. Everyone looked to Reid as he held the phone out towards Dani. "You don't have to listen if you don't want, one of us can do it.." He offered gently, but Dani seemed recovered from the fall and shook her head.

"No, I'll do it." She said firmly and accepted the phone from the lanky young man beside her. She took a deep, slow breath as she flipped the phone opened and dialled her voicemail, listening to the monotone and robotic voice of the woman telling her she had one new message.

She pressed 1 to hear it and looked tentatively at Spencer Reid, who hadn't moved from his spot beside her on the grass. The others never let their eyes off of her as she listened, and all seen the great wash of relief that came suddenly over her face.

She listened for a few more seconds then hung up the phone. "It was just my sister in California." She advised and felt her face begin to warm at how she immediately reacted to the silly phone call. "I'm… I'm sorry guys, I thought…"

She bit her bottom lip and wouldn't look anyone in the eye, but Prentiss touched her shoulder gently again. "Dani, don't be sorry. Someone DID call you yesterday and we will get to the bottom of it." She said and received nods from the others surrounding her.

"Actually, since you did get a call yesterday and it was also an unknown caller, it's natural for the mind to immediately make the assumption and think of who the last caller was. From who it was last time, the mind thought of the first assumption and it came to fast, making the body react too quickly. That's probably why you fainted." Reid pointed out to the blank faces staring at him. He looked away bashfully and studied the grass in front of him.

"Well, I think that's it for today. Dani, let's get you back to Reid's, you should rest for the rest of day." Hotch announced softly and nodded to the others.

Morgan bent down and helped Dani to her feet. She thanked him and unconsciously brushed the dirt from her backside as Reid grabbed her bag and his jacket.

"Garcia and I will take you guys back." Morgan said immediately, never removing his arm from Dani's shoulders as they all began walking back to the parking lot. Reid smiled a thanks in his direction, but couldn't help but wonder if this guy was back in all of their lives, even if he had burned to death in the car explosion one year ago.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Hotch said we're going to do some background checks today on the man who attacked you last year…" Reid advised as he drank from his favourite coffee mug in the living room. "We haven't had a case yet, but as long as nothing comes up we can research this."

Dani wasn't sure what to say, so she smiled at him and brought the cup of milky coffee to her lips and sighed in satisfaction. The news was blaring from the tv of Reid's living room, but her thoughts were on yesterday's events and she had already told herself last night that she is going to have to buck up and stop letting every little thing affect her.

"What time do you have to go?" She asked meekly and tried not to sound like a child. Reid glanced at his watch, and then at the clock on the wall. It was a small habit Dani had already noticed of him, it was almost as if he didn't trust his watch to tell him the correct time and he had to get a second opinion from the wall clock.

"I have to leave in about 20 minutes…" He admitted without looking at her in the eye. He had already told her that morning that he couldn't bring her to work every day, especially if another urgent case came up. It was slightly out of protocol and Hotch mentioned she would be safe staying at Reid during the day, being unlikely anyone knew where she was and that something would happen. Reid didn't like it, but he had to follow his boss' orders.

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Dani smiled once noticing Reid's expression. "I have a fridge full of food, thanks to Prentiss and Garcia by the way," She teased which made Reid's cheeks blush slightly. "And there's a marathon of Star Trek and other nerd-filled fun here. I'll be ok."

Reid slapped her lightly on the arm at the comment, then finished the rest of his coffee before standing up and making his way to the kitchen.

"Don't leave the apartment today, no matter what happens." He explained as he rinsed out his cup in the sink. "Keep the door locked at all times, and maybe keep the blinds closed too…" He paused for a moment to look out the window at the third floor view. There was hardly a way anyone could get up through the windows of his apartment, but he was thinking of anything that could happen while she was left alone.

"And don't open the door for anyone. I hardly get visitors, sometimes my elderly neighbour comes over to borrow stuff, but if she does just ignore her. She doesn't know you're staying here anyways…" He continued as Dani hopped on the counter and stared at him with blank eyes.

"I'm a big girl, Spence. I know not to talk to strangers…" She teased a little, making Reid avert his eyes and busy himself with drying his cup.

"When did your sister say she was coming…?" He asked and tried to change the subject to something lighter.

"She said that her and a friend are flying out next week. Something about school, but I'm sure they won't be doing any research while they're here. I haven't seen for months so it will be nice to hang out with her again." Dani explained with a smile and Reid's pent up nervousness seemed to fade.

He smiled back at her then glanced at the clock in the kitchen. "Well… I guess I should get going. Call me if anything happens, anything out of the ordinary or anything suspicious." He advised, receiving another light hearted smile from the brunette perched on his counter. The fact that she was so comfortable in his apartment was almost soothing to him, and the thought that he had a girl LIVING with him suddenly broke into his mind.

"Have a good day at work." Dani replied and jumped down from the counter to envelope him in a hug. Mixed with the thoughts that had just entered his mind, Reid felt his cheeks starting to burn and he patted her quickly on the back before turning his back on her to put on his shoes.

"Uh, like I said. Keep the doors locked, and if someone calls, just ignore the phone… Uh, well unless it's me. I mean me, or anyone on the team. Anyone from the bureau could call. Just… Just be careful." He stammered quickly and cursed himself for the sudden nervousness. Dani waved with a smile as he escaped the apartment and he felt like banging his head against the closed door as he locked it from the outside. She's been living with him for five days and he's known her for over a year. He shouldn't be nervous around her anymore.

He shook the thoughts from his head and tried to enter work mode, debating where to start on the man who died in the car fire a year ago as he made his way down the three flights of stairs.


	10. A Neverending Spiral

Reid sat at the large table in the boardroom with papers spread in front of him. He was backdating to Dani's case from a year ago and was determined to find a missing link that would give him some answers. Something didn't seem right about the whole case, and he was bound to figure it out.

"So this Jared Foster character, he had hundreds of photographs of Dani in his house. It was obvious he had been stalking her, yet he seemed to be teasing her with the notes and the riddles. Don't forget, this guy was bound to wrap his notes around some foreign literature crap, and the note she received recently seems to be no exception..."

Reid vaguely paid attention as Morgan rattled off the details of the case as him and Prentiss tried to make important notes on the whiteboard at the front of the boardroom. Hotch had gave the three free run of the case that day, unless something came up. Hotchner didn't say it, but from Dani's reaction to the phone call yesterday in the park he worried about her well being and felt she could only relax once the case was put to rest. If she could see it in writing or pictures, that Jared Foster, the man who attacked her a year ago, was dead then she could get back to a normal life.

"What did she say happened with the phone call again?" Morgan asked, trying to recall the story Reid had mentioned when Dani was in the grocery store.

"He said that he isn't a joke and that he's going to find her..." Reid murmured as he scanned another report following the car wreckage.

"Well, the man was definitely dead, I mean he was practically burned to a crisp when his car exploded." Prentiss reminded them as she studied the photographs of the gory incident. "I hate to say it, but is it possible... Well, Dani's Aunt passed away recently and she's been under a lot of stress lately... Do you think she could just be paranoid?"

Reid looked up at her from the comment and frowned slightly at the possibility. They didn't know about the drugs Reid had found in Dani's bag, he had kept that a secret. He watched as Dani had flushed the remaining pills down the toilet in effort to proove to him that she didn't need to go to any meetings because she wasn't addicted. Reid forced himself to believe her, she seemed to be doing fine and he knew she hadn't brought any more with her.

"I don't think she's the type to make up stuff like this..." Reid murmured and grabbed the next folder from the file box in the middle of the table. "Are their any DNA tests confirming it WAS the body of Jared Foster at all? So far I haven't found any definitive evidence that it was him..."

Prentiss and Morgan glanced at each other briefly and sighed. They knew how determined Reid was to figure this all out and they weren't about to give up on him. Even though Prentiss had made the suggestion, she knew deep inside that Dani wasn't like that either.

"I sent the request to Crime Lab this morning. They're going to do an indepth search to see if anyone performed the DNA test in the autopsy, but if no one actually did there's only one way we can be sure..." Prentiss explained and cringed at the thought.

"Dig up the body..." Morgan answered knowingly and looked at the other two, secretly hoping they would find something before they had to resort to it.

"How long did they say it would take?" Reid asked Prentiss as she rifled through the box for another folder.

"For the search, a couple hours. If they don't find anything we have to send in a request to... You know..." She shuddered again. "If we put a rush on it they can have it done in about a day."

Reid nodded slowly and lifted his cell phone from the table briefly, checking if he had any missed calls or messages.

"She's doing ok." Morgan said as he noticed Reid's gesture. Reid immediately put the cell phone back on the table and frowned at him, unable to think of anything to say.

"She's locked up in your hole of an apartment, she'll be fine." Morgan smiled at Reid in hopes to lighten his mood. Reid tossed his pen at Morgan who was now laughing at him. He saw Reid glancing at his phone almost every 20 minutes and he knew the boy was worried, but even more so wanting to put an end to this whole thing.

........................................................................................................................................................................

Dani sighed loudly as the rolling credits scrolled on the screen, ending the fifth Star Trek episode she had watched already that day. She craned her neck from her position on the couch to glance at the wall clock, noticing that it was only 2pm. Spencer would probably be at work until at least 5pm, he mentioned to her before he left that morning. Dani was planning on cooking him a large meal for supper before he returned home because he didn't look like he ate all too well and she would bet her left arm that he wasn't too keen on cooking either. She, on the other hand, loved to cook and knew how to work her way around the kitchen. She was glad Garcia and Prentiss had brought over bags of food to fille Reid's fridge after they had noticed the bare bones of it.

Dani sighed again and debated whether she should start prepping some of the vegetables now or wait another hour, but she stood and stretched her aching muscles anyway, deciding she couldn't sit anymore. She was bound to show her appreciation of Spencer letting her stay with him. Besides the dinner she had planned out for that evening, she had already cleaned and vacuumed the apartment, and scrubbed down the kitchen and bathroom.

She finally decided on going to the washroom before getting ready to clean some of the vegetables piled in the fridge. As she was cleaning up and washing her hands in the bathroom sink, she heard the faint call of her cell phone coming from the living room.

"Shit." She cursed as she turned off the taps and gave her hands a quick dry on the towel before racing out of the bathroom towards the living room. She paused for a moment, listening to the sound of her ringing cell phone, hoping it would give away its location as she forgot where she placed it. She pulled the blanket from the couch and saw her cell phone drop to the floor, where she quickly snatched it up and pulled it to her ear. It was probably Spencer checking up on her, she had expected him to call her on his lunch break, but he hadn't yet.

"Hello?" She answered, vaguely aware of the fact that she should have checked the caller ID.

When no one answered right away, her heart started beating faster, but she forced herself to remain on the line. She wasn't going to faint this time, not this time, she thought as she slowly sat on the couch and pressed the phone harder to her ear.

"Who is this?" She demanded bravely through gritted teeth and waiting for the other person to speak. She was sick of the fact everything was happening all over again and being scared wasn't going to help matters any.

"Who is this?!" She practically screamed into the phone as she was clutching onto her own knee, unaware that her knuckles were turning white from the tension, but she ignored everything as she waited for the caller to reveal themselves.

"... You can run from me, dear girl... But you can't hide... The lovely young couple inhabiting your late Aunt's house seem to be very unaware of your whereabouts. But that's ok... I'll find you..."

With that, the unknown man ended the call with a soft click. It took Dani a few minutes to pull the phone from her ear and flip it closed, only to notice how badly her hands were now shaking. A large tear welled over from her eyes and trickled down her cheek towards her clenched jaw bone. She threw the cell phone across the room in frustration and was surprised to hear the sudden sob that escaped her mouth. She covered her lips with a shaking hand and closed her eyes briefly before standing up and running to the door. She made sure the lock was securely in place and glanced out the peekhole into the empty hallway before turning her back to rest against the door.

She couldn't deal with it. She knew she could call Spencer, but she feared she would break down as soon as he answered. Instead, she quickly made her way back into the bathroom and began rifling through his medicine cabinet.

........................................................................................................................................................................

Reid dug through his pockets for his apartment keys as he stood outside the door. It had been a long day of research that hardly led them anywhere. They did find out, however, that no DNA test was done confirming the identity of the charred body and further tests were needed to conclude the fact. The last Reid heard, they were going to dig up the buried remains for DNA testing. This was after Emily Prentiss had yelled at the person from the Crime Lab through the phone, calling him an unprofessional, lazy jackass who doesn't do his job properly. Reid and Morgan couldn't hide their smiles as they listened to the conversation, but in the end of it, the man promised they should receive their results by tomorrow. Reid had to give it to Prentiss for her gutsy ability to make a Crime Lab investigator jump off whatever case he was working on to dig up a year old body for an already shakey case.

He smiled again at the thought as he unlocked his apartment door and slid inside. The apartment was quiet and the tv was shut off, making Reid glance at the time. It was almost 5.30pm, and as he kicked off his shoes he called out for Dani.

When no one answered, his body suddenly went cold and he tossed his messenger bag to the ground as he checked the bathroom and the kitchen, his heart racing faster by the minute. He was about to curse Hotch for not letting Dani come to the bureau with him and thinking the worst, but when he entered the bedroom he saw Dani curled up on his bed, clutching on to one of the pillows as the light snores escaped her mouth.

Reid let out a sigh of relief and entered the bedroom cautiously, eyeing the fully clothed woman sleeping on his bed. He wasn't going to wake her, he only took off his watch and placed it on the dresser before quietly stepping out of the bedroom and closing the door slowly behind himself.

He walked into the kitchen and immediately put a pot of coffee on to brew, an evening ritual he had become accustomed to. He knew Morgan or Prentiss went home to an ice cold beer in order to relax, but Reid found nothing was better than the smell and taste of a fresh cup of coffee. The bland stuff at the bureau didn't cut it, and he was hoping the rest of the team would take him up on the suggestion of everyone chipping in for a more flavourful type of coffee. Anything would be better than the cheap stuff the BAU supplied.

After he pressed the button on the coffeemaker, Reid decided to take a quick shower while the coffee brewed and maybe by then Dani would have awakened. As he closed the door to the bathroom, he was about to strip his clothes when his eyes cast over the sink. He hadn't noticed it before, mainly because he made a mad dash looking for Dani, but as he moved closer to the vanity he seen the empty pack of sleeping pills discarded in the porcelain sink.

Reid frowned as he pulled his hand from his belt buckle and snatched the tin packet. He opened his medicine cabinet to confirm that the sleeping pills had been his. A few months ago he began having nightmares again and wasn't sleeping well, so he decided to purchase a sleeping aid in hopes it would help. It did for the first few nights, but after only a couple of the pills he stopped taking them, finding his head was too loopy when he awoke to concentrate on work. He knew there should have been at least five sleeping pills left in the blister back that was now empty in his hands.

"Shit..." Reid cursed softly and tossed the cardboard and flimsy tin pack into the garbage before going to check on Dani in the bedroom. After that many pills she would be sleeping well into the night and most of the morning.

**It's a little short, but I wrote it pretty quick. Please humor me and give a brief review to fuel my writer's ego!**


	11. The Meeting

**Hey everyone! This is just an updated version of my already posted chapter. I fixed a few things, much thanks to **_**aLeX24 **_**for the note and suggestion that last names aren't given at such meetings, for anonymity reasons. I fixed the error in the chapter (thanks so much aLeX24!). **

**I promise to update soon, I'm working on it. I've been going through some personal issues, plus Christmas is around the corner so I've been busy. Don't worry people, the next chapter should be up soon! I promise!  
-A**

He was running. Running so fast that he wasn't so sure he was running anymore, it felt almost like he was flying because his legs were so numb. He kept glancing behind him, looking for whatever it was he knew was there. Suddenly he could hear something behind him, it was making some kind of piercing, rattling cry. It was almost ear-piercing, but whenever he glanced over his shoulder he couldn't see it, he could only sense that whatever it was, was still chasing him.

The loud, jingling noise sounded again, but this time when Reid turned around he ran right into something hard, knocking him to the ground.

"Wha-?" Reid's eyes flew open and on instinct he spun around in search for the unknown subject that had been chasing him. He looked frantically around, but all he saw through the dark was the formation of his couch and the harsh outline of his coffee table.

The ring sounded again loudly and Reid realized it was his cell phone once he noticed the green light blinking on the coffee table. It was the same time he realized he was lying on his floor with his legs tangled in the blankets.

"Hello?" He answered the phone still half in a daze while subconsciously looking over his shoulder again, just to be sure nothing was chasing him. It had only been a dream.

"Reid, it's Emily. Are you awake?" Prentiss' voice came from the other end, sounding oddly alive like she had been up for hours already.

"I am now…" Reid replied almost grumpily as he struggled from his position on the floor to sit on the abandoned couch. "What time is it?"

Prentiss chuckled softly on the other end, "It's 7:30… Shouldn't you be up already?"

She couldn't make out Reid's mumble of a reply, but took it as an answer she probably wouldn't want to hear and continued.

"I just got a call from the Crime Lab. They have our results and we have to get down there. I can be at your house in 20 if you can be ready by then." She explained and the comment wakened Reid's mind.

"Yeah, pick me up. I'll be ready." Reid confirmed and hung up the phone. He was hoping they would receive some answers, especially for Dani's sake. At the thought, Reid's mind trailed to the night before and the empty packet of sleeping pills. He immediately stood up and walked to his bedroom. He had left the door open all night just in case something happened, and he had slept on the couch.

He entered the bedroom tentatively. The sunlight was barely streaming in through the window, but it was just light enough that he could see Dani sprawled out on his bed, still in the same clothes she had been wearing the day before.

He sighed softly and quickly changed his clothes before taking a seat quickly on the edge of the bed before shaking her lightly.

"Dani… Dani…" He called softly. He wasn't sure if she would even wake up, but he knew that the result of taking a few sleeping pills wasn't deadly, unless the number was an extremely high amount. He knew she couldn't have taken more than five, so the only result would be her being severely groggy and slightly disoriented for a few hours.

He was about to stand, but her eyes fluttered open and he could see the small sliver of emerald green focus on his face.

"Spencer?" She asked, her voice hoarse with sleep, and she seemed to be struggling to keep her mind focused.

"Um… I have to go to the bureau. We might have found something helpful… I…" He averted her eyes and cast his gaze to the floor. "I have a, uh… A meeting tonight after work. You know, if you want to come with me I can stop by here first and…"

Dani shook her head slowly side to side and Reid saw the small frown cross her tired face.

"No, I can't… Spencer I just… I can't do it, I'm sorry." She replied meekly. She couldn't really comprehend what he was saying, but her mind and body was telling her forcefully that she needed to go back to sleep.

"Ok.." Reid nodded slowly and offered her a small smile, realizing her eyes were already closing. He moved forward and noticed his hand was in midair, about to stroke the hair off of her forehead, but he stopped himself short and pulled his hand back. Instead he grabbed the comforter and pulled it over her body, tucking it in gently at the sides and quietly escaping the bedroom.

He didn't have time to make any coffee, Prentiss would be there soon. So he quickly scribbled a note to leave for her on the kitchen counter and grabbed his messenger back and put on his shoes. Before he stepped out the door, he stopped for a moment then walked back to the note to add the address of the meeting place he knew from memory from attending almost every week.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Well we processed the dental and DNA on your body here, and we came up with something interesting…"

Prentiss and Reid were at the Crime Lab by 8:15am and were quickly ushered to the room where the post-autopsy was performed. The older man was taking off his rubber gloves as he filled them in about the body of Jared Foster.

"What did you find out…?" Reid inquired with a small frown.

"Well the man wasn't Jared Foster. When I ran the DNA through the FBI system I actually got a match right away. It was a Donald Jackson. Apparently he was arrested quite a few times, did some jail time a couple years ago. He was an excessive drug dealer in the city and was hardly pronounced missing. He was known for disappearing off and on, either to get out of trouble or to go on a drug run." The man informed as he read from the report in his hands.

"It wasn't Jared Foster…" Prentiss practically cursed as she felt her blood seem to bubble in her veins.

"Why wasn't this discovered in the first place? Why wasn't the DNA test performed when the body was found?" Reid asked almost angrily as the thoughts swirled in his mind that the man they had hunted a year ago, the case they thought had been solved, was still in fact wide open and the man was still out there.

"The reports indicate a medical bracelet was found on the body, inscribing the deceased identity." The older man read.

"Great. We get a DNA result from a removable medical bracelet…" Prentiss muttered loudly. "Thanks for your help." She nodded to the man before her and Reid exited the lab, ready to head back to the bureau to represent the case to the team.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Reid handed a ten dollar bill over to the cab driver after he pulled over at the small building. The air was brisk and he was tired, but he had to attend the meeting.

It was already 8pm and the team had been going over the details of the unsub from a year ago, trying to remake a profile for the man they thought was dead. It had been a long, gruelling day and finally Hotch decided to send the team home so they can start fresh in the morning. Seeing as the unsub had been in no further contact with Dani, he felt it was ok to leave until morning, especially since she was staying with Reid.

Reid stood outside the building for a moment. He had called Dani earlier from the BAU, letting her know of the progress and asking her again if she wanted to come with him that evening. She denied feverishly and let him know that she would be ok until he came home. She hadn't left the apartment all day and she triple confirmed with him that the doors were locked, windows were closed and that she would truly be ok.

He wasn't sure he believed her, but knowing she had the numbers to the rest of the team was a little comforting in the situation. He would only be at the meeting for an hour.

He walked into the large room where everyone was already seated. He took one of the empty seats in the back, the same spot he had sat every meeting he attended. Once everyone was settled, the main attendee who had taken a leadership role stood at the podium.

"Ok, so tonight's meeting is all about progress and influences in our lives that has helped us this far along. Don't hesitate to come up and tell your piece, I strongly suggest whoever feels comfortable to do so, it's a great stress relief to tell others the amount you've progressed. No matter how long or how little you have come, you should all be proud of yourselves for making it this far."

The man started off with his own short story. The man was an ex-cop, having been dislodged from the force after his drug addiction was discovered. After realizing how much he had lost in it all, it was a clear wake up call to become sober.

Reid slouched in his chair and listened as the different people took turns in introducing themselves and explaining small bits of their stories. He couldn't help but let his mind drift to the new findings of the case and he suddenly felt very guilty for having come to the meeting. He should have gone straight home to be with Dani, especially after finding out the unsub was still out there. No matter what Hotch said, Reid felt someone should be with Dani anyways.

He was about to stand, he decided to leave the meeting and head back home, but someone suddenly slipped in and took the empty seat next to his. Confused, he looked up at the late-comer and noticed Dani's hesitant face break into a very small smile. His whole body seemed to relax and he smiled back at her, proud and relieved that she was now here. Not only for herself, but for his own selfishness.

"You came…" He whispered quietly and she nodded in reply, but her face looked full of fear and her eyes seemed slightly droopy from fatigue.

She didn't say anything in return, but he felt her hand jut out towards his and this time he grabbed willingly, giving a small squeeze for support. When he glanced over at her again, she was looking straight ahead at the speaker at the podium and Reid couldn't help but smile.

"Spencer, we know you have been wonderfully successful in the last year. Would you like to come up and share your success with us?" The man at the podium asked and Reid gave a tight smile before turning to Dani and gently letting go of her hand.

She nodded at him to go and he stood to walk to the front where he remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"Um, well as you know my name is Spencer… I've been attending these meetings for almost two years now. My progress has been successful, but as you all probably know, there's still those times where I… "Crave". I mostly find I have these "cravings" after a hard case or when something affects me or triggers memories from my childhood…" He spoke a little nervously as he clasped his hands in front of him. "But I have to say, the main reason for my success in staying sober is my friends. They have been extremely supportive and caring. They don't say a word to me about it, mostly because they know I won't talk about it, but I can tell in their looks or certain gestures that they're there for me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them…"

Reid looked at Dani in the back row and she offered him a smile then, making him smile back a little bashfully. It was partially due to embarrassment of someone he knows seeing him in this environment, but mostly because she had came and was right there with him.


	12. Picking Up Sophie

**Ok, sorry everyone for not posting sooner! Had a lot going on this month. But here it is, finally! The next chapter. I hope you enjoy, and please review.**

"Ok, how can we narrow this down? I feel like we're trying to find a needle in a haystack here…" Morgan asked fretfully as him and most of the team rifled through the reports of Dani's case from a year ago. It had been a couple days since the ID of the body came back negative for Jared Foster.

"Well we know he has a passport if he flew to Nice. Dani said he contacted her again and mentioned the fact that her house was sold and that there was a young couple living there." Prentiss spoke up as she pulled one of the boxes towards her to inspect further.

"Did anyone run his passport through the system? See where he's been lately? When his flights are?" Reid asked. He tried hard to hide his worry. After Dani told him that the man called her again and told her that he was basically following her, he had to advise Hotch. Thankfully, Hotch agreed to Dani staying at the BAU opposed to Reid's apartment alone during the day, as long as she stayed out of the way so they could track down this man and recreate a profile for him.

"Garcia ran it through the system earlier and it did come up that he was in Nice. He flew there almost two months ago, but he hasn't left yet. At least we know he's out of the country for now…" Morgan replied somewhat angrily. He was mad that everyone thought this man was dead, when they only gave him an open ended chance at getting Dani alone again. The thought made Morgan's blood boil and he was going to do everything he could to track this guy down.

"How's she doing?" Morgan looked up from the papers in a moment of concern.

Reid thought about the other night when Dani showed up at the meeting and how difficult it had been for her. She hadn't said much about it since, besides promising Reid that she'll talk to him first if she ever feels the need to take anything again.

Reid shrugged in response, "As good as anyone would be in this type situation I guess…"

Morgan nodded slowly then directed his attention back to the papers in front of him.

"Ok, so lets talk about the pictures we found in his house…" Prentiss suggested as she began pinning up the various pictures and newspaper articles taken for evidence from Jared Foster's home.

"The earliest ones here, Dani said that she was about 17 when… This one was taken…" Reid stood and pointed to the picture of Dani walking out of a coffee shop with her 10 year old sister in tow.

"Ok, so if that's the earliest one, when she was 17, he had to have just met her then. From the evidence we can assume he's a classic stalker that thinks he has some sort of connection with Dani ever since they first met. She could have smiled at him or held a door open for him, but from that moment he began following her." Morgan explained as he leaned against the table and studied the wall of photos.

"He's getting braver now, he must think Dani is his. Stalkers like this don't normally leave the country to follow their object of affections." Prentiss added as she took her seat at the table.

Reid frowned slightly as he studied the photos at Prentiss' comment. He didn't like thinking of Dani as any kind of object, and definitely didn't like the fact that someone else was.

"Well we have to figure out the next step. He's not going to hang around Nice too much longer, and we have to determine where he's going to go first." Reid said somewhat hastily as he rummaged through the reports, ignoring the looks he received from Morgan and Prentiss.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"So do you like doing what you do?" Dani asked suddenly from her chair beside Garcia. She had been tucked away in Garcia's room for the better part of the day, making sure to stay out of the Team's hair.

"I suppose so. It's a great feeling to know you've helped catch a psychotic mass murderer." Garcia smiled at the brunette beside her. "Sometimes it's hard though. I'd say the hardest part is being stuck here when everyone else is out in the field, risking their lives. All I can do is cross my fingers and pray to God everyone comes home when it's all over."

Dani nodded at her reply and fingered the mug of coffee sitting on her lap. "I'm just so sick of this. I almost want to go out and find this guy myself to put an end to it." She admitted quietly to her new blonde friend.

"Oh, honey. I bet a lot of people feel like that. Just remember, you have the best profilers on your side helping you figure this out. You should have nothing to worry about, just keeping yourself safe. That's all I ask." Garcia replied with a soft smile.

"Yeah…" Dani replied as she ran a finger around the rim of her cup. She wasn't sure what to think anymore. She wasn't as afraid anymore, just frustrated and felt the need to cry or rip her hair out over the whole situation. "But, why me? What the hell did I do to get some crazy person stalking me? Trying to kill me?" She asked desperately, pulling a bit at Garcia's heart strings. Garcia studied the woman in front of her. She was only a few years younger than herself, but she seemed so fragile at the moment.

"I don't know, hun. I ask myself that every day. Why anybody? It's horrible, the things that happen in our world. But you just have to keep thinking that you'll get through this, I mean you have me on your side. How could anything go wrong?" Garcia joked with a wink, making Dani smile in return.

"You're right. If nothing else, we can lock ourselves up in this room. With your mad skills we can do anything as long as we have internet hook up and a coffee machine." Dani replied, making Garcia laugh, but the sound of a cell phone ringing interrupted and Dani fumbled in her pocket for a moment.

"Sorry…" She apologized to Garcia, but she just waved off the apology as Dani answered.

"Hello?" She asked into the phone, when a sudden itch of fear trembled through her. She closed her eyes briefly to get herself together.

"Hey sis, it's me!" Sophie's bright voice rang from the other end, making Dani smile in relief.

"Hey Sophie, where are you?" She asked as she looked at her watch. It was 3:30pm, Sophie and her friend had left California on their flight a few hours ago.

"We're just at our connection. We should be hopping on our other flight in a few minutes here. I swear, I don't know why they didn't have any direct flights, it's so stu-" Suddenly Dani heard a thump on the other line and her sister curse softly in French at someone.

"What a jerk! He just ran right into me and didn't even apologize, did you see that?" Dani heard Sophie talking to her friend as she attempted to cover up the phone.

"Sophie! Hello??" Dani said a little annoyed.

"Oh! Sorry, Dan. Ok, so we're going to get on our next flight and we should be landing there at about 5:00pm. You're still picking us up right? We're not sure where our hotel is and all." Sophie drawled.

"Yeah sure. Um, I'll get someone to drive me down there, don't worry. Where are you staying again?" Dani asked as she snatched a feathery purple pen from Garcia's desk and wrote the name of the hotel on the inside of her forearm.

"Got it. Ok, I'll be there at 5. See you then!" Dani hung up her phone and smiled at Garcia. "My sister. I haven't seen her for months."

Garcia smiled back at her, but before she could reply, her own phone rang and she grabbed the headset to place upon her head.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Agent Hotchner sat in his office running over some recent reports so they could get filed away. He checked in on the team members working on Dani's case from time to time and kept up to date in the proceedings throughout the day. He ordered Reid to take Dani in to the BAU, even though this Jared Foster character was in France, Hotch didn't think he could take any chances. He already filed a complaint and lack of professionalism towards the autopsy director for miscalculating an identity for the deceased.

He looked up at the wall clock across his office and noticed it was already 5:30pm. It was getting late and his stomach rumbled, letting him know that he hadn't eaten since noon. He sighed and leaned back in his chair wondering what he should order for dinner. He wasn't too keen on going back to his empty condo just yet, it was something he had done nearly every night since his divorce was finalized. Excluding the nights he had Jack, he would find excuses to stay as late as he could at the BAU to avoid the emptiness of his own place.

Just as the thoughts of Chinese food were floating in his head, his desk phone rang and he answered quickly, glad for the distraction.

"Hotchner." He answered.

"Sir, it's Garcia. You know how you wanted me to put a tracker flag on Jared Foster's passport? Well I flagged it in my system, you know, so I can see when it gets used or there's any action on it. Well I was just notified that he's hopped on a plane, he's heading back to Seattle. It should take him until tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know he's coming… I mean, he's leaving… Well, he's…"

"Thanks Garcia. I'll notify Seattle police." Hotch thanked and hung up the phone quickly before exiting his office.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Thanks for taking me. I'm glad Hotch let you." Dani smiled at Reid as they stood in the crowded airport, waiting patiently.

"It's no problem… He's in France, right? There's no way he could… I mean, you're safe for… Uh.." Reid bit his lip and tried to be casual as he squinted at the flight board above them, wishing he knew how to choose his words more carefully.

"Spence, it's ok. I don't think I'm afraid anymore, I just want my life back…" Dani replied, muttering the last part quietly, but Reid heard and understood.

"When is your sister supposed to land?" Reid asked again as he tried to find the appropriate flight on the lit board.

"Well she was supposed to land at 5… I guess they got caught up in baggage or some-" Dani began to look at her watch when a loud shriek interrupted her.

"Dani!!" The voice called to their left and they both turned to the source. Dani's face broke into a smile as she seen the slightly shorter girl running towards them, her shoulder length wavy brown hair flowing behind her.

"Hey Soph!" Once she reached the two, Sophie enveloped her sister in a large hug and squeezed tightly.

"How's it going? MAN your hair is so different, it looks good! This is my friend Anna, she's from Cali, can't you tell? Spencer, right? You look just the same, good to see you again." Sophie rattled off quickly as she gestured to the blonde behind her and slapped Reid in the chest.

"Good to see you too." Reid murmured as he rubbed his chest gently from the hit.

"You guys must be bushed, hey?" Dani asked as she grabbed her sister's carry on to help as they started walking. Dani and Sophie were a few steps ahead, leaving Reid and Anna to walk behind them.

"Yeah, man I couldn't even sleep on the plane. Fat ass beside me took up half my seat." Sophie drawled as she pulled her luggage behind her. "So Spencer, eh? I never thought of you to go after the nerdy type.." Sophie teased with a low voice.

"I'm not 'after' him." Dani replied with a laugh and shoved her sister roughly by the shoulder, making her stumble slightly. Sophie only laughed in reply and shoved her back lightly.

"Man, you can tell they're sisters, eh?" Anna commented to Reid with a smile after witnessing the roughhousing.

Reid looked at the younger blonde walking beside him and smiled with a nod in reply. He kept his eye on the brunette in front of him, while keeping a watch out for anything suspicious around them. Suddenly Dani turned her head and flashed him a bright smile, something he hadn't seen for a few days. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Come on, Spence, let's get a move on. These girls must be tired." Dani exclaimed as she reached behind and grabbed his arm to tug him forward. The girls giggled a little and when Dani didn't release her hand from the nook of his arm, he felt the heat rise to his cheeks, much to his dismay.


	13. Mexico

"I'm telling you, no one by the name of Jared Foster got off that flight in Seattle. Either this guy you're tracking missed his flight or got on a different connection. Or he managed to switch the names in the airline's computer system, which I find is hardly possible…"

Agent Hotchner thanked the Seattle Police Sergeant for his time after he had confirmed the dozen agents spread out at the airport terminals came up empty handed. Hotch hung up the phone fretfully and sighed outloud as he ran a hand through his perfectly cut hair. This had been their only planned chance on catching this guy and the whole thing had prominently blown up in their faces.

He walked briskly from his office and headed to the boardroom where most of the team was set up working already that morning.

"He didn't land in Seattle. His seat was empty on the plane, so either he jumped onto a different connection or… Or I don't know." Hotch advised the team sternly and quickly looked at Garcia with raised eyebrows. "Garcia, I want you to run through the airplane's booking system and dig as deep as you can to see if he connected to a different city, got onto a private plane, anything." Garcia nodded and left the room quickly to get back to her computer dome.

"This guy has no way of knowing Dani's here in Quantico. Why would he sidetrack from the only place he could know she would escape to?" Morgan questioned suspiciously.

"I don't know. I want you guys to keep looking over the letters addressed to Dani, see if you can find any change in behaviour, outlook, intentions, anything. Keep me up to date on any breakthroughs; I'm going to take Rossi and JJ to go over the statements and press releases on the incident at the college he was teaching at." Everyone nodded at Hotch's orders before he looked at Reid, "Has he made any contact with her recently…?"

Reid shook his head slowly, "No, not since the last phone call a few days ago."

Hotch nodded before quickly exiting the room.

"We've gone over these reports and evidence about a million times already…" Prentiss commented before taking a seat in one of the black leather chairs and grabbed a file folder.

"We had to have missed something…" Reid muttered as began pushing the boxes to one side of the table and laid out the letters in order received.

Morgan, Prentiss and Reid stood in front of the displayed letters and studied carefully.

"The last letter, it's completely different from the rest. Every one before was hand written, a more personal excerption of communication. Then the one she received after moving back to Nice is all wrong. A classic stalker that feels he has a connection with the… Victim… Thrives on the ability to be more personal in any contact between them. This letter is impersonal, it's bland, it's typed and even the envelope it was in was typed." Reid began rattling off his thoughts as he stared at the evidence.

"So, it could suggest that he… Doesn't feel a connection with her anymore? He doesn't consider it personal anymore?" Prentiss wondered off the top of her head.

"No, personal stalkers who start off as personal as he did wouldn't dramatically change their style of communication like this.. In fact, they usually become more personal…" Reid countered as he frowned in thought.

"Like starting to make phone calls, talking to her for real. This guy's getting braver and definitely more confident." Morgan supplied as he picked up the single paged typed letter. "And if you ask me, I think this just shows that he's gotten smarter." He held up the piece of paper as proof before setting it back down on the table.

"But why would he type? We already have several examples of his handwriting and he has to know the police knows who he is. Why would cover up his handwriting now…?" Reid dropped his crossed arms in frustration and sat back into the chair before running his hands over his face.

"Hey kid, you doing alright? You look like you haven't slept all that well lately." Morgan commented after studying the younger profiler's expression for a few seconds.

Reid looked up quickly and shook his head. "No, yeah. I mean I'm fine, I'm ok. I just need more coffee I think." He shook his head again before getting up from the chair and making his way down the hall to the break room.

"I think this might be getting a little personal for him…" Morgan said to Prentiss in a low voice after Reid was gone. Prentiss smirked as she stared down at the notes on the table.

"Well, I'm sure you'll keep an eye on him." She remarked slyly and took a drink of her own coffee before starting to go over the reports again.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"It says unknown number…" Dani swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in her throat as she stared down at the ringing cell phone in her hand. She glanced up at Garcia with a frozen expression, but Garcia was already typing feverishly on her keyboard.

"Ok, it might not be him, but just in case, I'm going to run a trace on your phone. If it does happen to be him, you have to keep him talking for at least 30 seconds or I can't make the trace, ok?" Garcia said quickly and looked up from her computer. "It's ready…"

Dani nodded slowly and took a deep breath. Her and Garcia were in the beeping room of computers by themselves when Dani's cell phone went off. Now she stared down at the blinking phone, almost too frozen to answer.

"It's ok sweetie, I'm here." Garcia placed a gentle hand on Dani's knee. She inhaled a deep breath again and flipped the cell phone open.

"Hello?" She answered tentatively.

The other end was silent and Dani instantly knew who it was.

"Why are you doing this." She demanded in a low voice and bit her lip to hold back a shout or a cry. She wasn't too sure how she felt anymore.

"You think you can hide, but dear Dani… You're wrong because I can always find you. Now, it was a little too late, but I did find out quickly that you aren't in Seattle anymore. Where did you go Dani?" Suddenly a soft, menacing chuckle sounded. "Oh, nevermind. I'll find you. You'll pay for leaving me…"

With that a soft click sounded, signalling he hung up.

Dani remained frozen with the phone up to her ear for a moment before Garcia lightly touched her arm, motioning for Dani to hang up.

"It wasn't long enough, I couldn't get it…" Garcia admitted with a concerned frown as she typed angrily on her keyboard.

"It's… It's ok… I think he's smart enough to not stay on that long anyways…" Dani said, her voice just above a whisper.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"He just called her, I managed to record the conversation, but it wasn't long enough to put a trace on…"

Garcia and Dani had immediately entered the boardroom where Morgan, Reid and Prentiss were working after receiving the phone call. The three looked up at them and dropped the papers they were reading as Garcia shoved the memory stick into device in the middle of the table.

"…find you. You'll pay for leaving me."

As the recording ended, Reid glanced up at Dani instinctively. She was standing at the end of the table with her arms crossed and was biting her bottom lip.

"Are you ok?" Morgan asked what Reid was thinking. Dani nodded her head slowly, but didn't reply.

"The fact that he said 'You'll pay for leaving me' makes him think that you abandoned him. You had to of met this guy before, or he wouldn't think you had to be… Punished… For… Um…" Reid stammered as his cheeks began to pinken from his own choice of words.

"What Reid's trying to say is… As long as you're with us, nothing is going to happen to you." Prentiss supplied and Dani smiled softly in return.

"Ok kids, I'm going to keep digging around in the airline system. If you need me I'll be in my hole." Garcia advised before quickly departing back down the hallway.

"Did you guys find anything…?" Dani asked suddenly as she motioned to all of the papers spread out on the table. The other three shook their heads instead of replying as Dani looked down and carefully fingered the last letter she received, the poem typed on a single page.

She chuckled softly, "You know. Back in high school, whenever one of my friends or I was made at one another, we wouldn't talk to them, we'd only send notes to each other until one of us caved."

"Yeah! I did the same thing when I was in school. Even though we were in a fight, we still couldn't resist passing notes to each other in class, but we wouldn't speak until someone apologized." Prentiss agreed with a smile at the memory.

"You girls and your note passing. I never understood what the point was…" Morgan huffed as he flipped the pages in front of him.

Reid zoned out the conversation as he stared at the notes displayed in front of him. The voice on the recording replayed inside his head as he studied the handwritten letters, followed by the typed one. Suddenly something clicked inside his mind.

"That's it!" He cried out suddenly and snatched the paper from underneath Dani's hand.

"What's it?" Morgan questioned with a raised eyebrow as Reid began to pace back and forth in the boardroom with the paper clutched in his hands.

"The reason it's typed. It's impersonal, it doesn't match with everything else he's done. It's… I think the reason it's so different is… Well it was after Dani moved. From the recording he said that she'll 'pay for leaving him'. He must think that she abandoned him and the letters impersonal now because he's mad at her, in his mind she left him. He can't NOT make contact with her, it's a part of his intellectual behaviour now, it's like an obsessive compulsive person trying to stop… Turning the light on three times. Like… Like an incessant gambler NOT putting a quarter in the slot machine as he walked by. It's almost like he's punishing her for leaving…" Reid spoke sporadically as he gestured his hands.

"I don't even know this guy! Why would he be punishing me for something I didn't do? How could he think we have this.. Connection if I've never even met him??" Dani asked with worried eyes as she looked around at the other three.

"In his mind, he thinks you guys have some sort of connection. He's messed up. You could have held the door open for him one time, smiled at him in the coffee shop… Something clicked inside of him." Prentiss explained gently as she walked over to Dani and placed a hand on her arm. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Suddenly the phone in the middle of the boardroom table rang and Morgan answered it quickly.

"Miss me already baby girl?" He answered with a smile after noticing Garcia's number on the display.

"Ahh, you know I can't live two minutes without hearing that sexy voice of yours." Garcia's voice sounded from the speaker phone.

Dani smiled at the reply and Morgan chuckled softly.

"What you got for us?" He asked.

"Well, ok. So I was doing my thing, looking for anything through this stupid airline system. I swear, whoever made up some of these programs should be shot…" Garcia complained as she trailed off topic.

"Did you find anything?" Prentiss asked, wondering if Garcia was about to make a point.

"Right. Yes, my dark haired friend. It looks like here, Jared Foster, he didn't make it to Seattle. He got to his connection in Minneapolis of all places, but he didn't get on the flight to Seattle, but he didn't cancel it either. I think he was trying to be sneaky, but he obviously doesn't know me. So I looked into it and he got on a smaller, less obvious plane that departed Minneapolis about an hour ago and it's heading to, get this. Cancun, Mexico. He's in the air right now, his passport was stamped and checked at the airport and he's on his way to sunny beaches and young, drunk sorority girls." Garcia explained quickly.

The four looked at each other with confused expressions.

"Mexico? Does he think that's where Dani would go?" Morgan wondered out loud.

"Honey, all I know is if I was on the run, I would want to head to sunny beaches and cheap booze." Garcia replied, receiving a laugh from Morgan.

"Thanks baby girl." Morgan said before hitting the release button on the phone.

"I think we need to get Hotch in here." Prentiss suggested.

**Alright guys, I wanted this chapter to go longer, but for what I want to happen it will need to be a chapter in itself. This one wasn't too exciting, but the next one will be! I don't think I'll be able to post until the holidays are over though.**

**Please review and Merry Christmas to everyone!  
-A**


	14. Pizza Sauce & Thoughts Lost

**Hello again. I hope everyone had (or is still having) a great holiday! This chapter has a teensy warning for some steaminess. Please give me the gift of reviewing! Reviews fuel me for further writing and are much appreciated!**

"I never really had the chance to thank you… For letting me stay here and… Well for everything…" Dani mentioned as her and Reid sat beside each other on the couch in his apartment. The movie they had rented blared in the background, but Dani hadn't been paying much attention as the thoughts mingled in her mind of the information gathered that day.

"You don't have to thank me. It's what friends are for, right?" Reid replied without taking his eyes off of the two Japanese men battling mercilessly on the tv screen. "I don't understand why Morgan likes this stuff…" He frowned at the screen, wondering when the movie would be over so they could put in his pick of DVDs rented from the video store.

Dani only smiled at his comment. It was a DVD Morgan had suggested when he found out her and Dani shared another common interest of movies. She couldn't help but laugh at Reid's expression as he watched the two Asians suddenly jump 20 feet in the air while continuing to fight.

"It's hardly believable." He scoffed and set down the now empty plate beside the pizza box on the coffee table.

"You don't have to believe it, Spence. It's made for entertainment. Everything doesn't have to be logical." Dani teased as she wiped her mouth with the napkin on her lap. Suddenly Reid turned to her, giving her a dirty look, but Dani just let out a laugh in reply.

"Hey Spence, you saving that pizza sauce for later or something?" She pointed at his face through the laughter, making Reid frown even more. She grabbed the discarded napkin from the coffee table and held it towards him. "Come here!"

"What? Stop it. You're lying, it's a trick, isn't it?" He cried as he swatted her prying hands away while leaning back to the arm of the couch. Even though he had a hunch that she was lying, he self consciously wiped at his mouth anyways.

"No! Spencer, you keep missing it, come here!" Dani whined and turned her body so she could reach more towards his face with the crumpled napkin. "Sit still. God, it's bugging me! Let me get it!"

Spencer continued to fight Dani off as she giggled and tried to pin him against the couch. He struggled to hold her off, but she was surprisingly strong for her size.

"Get away! Stop attacking me with your dirty napkin and spindly hands!" Reid cried as she inched closer and closer. He turned his head from side to side, avoiding her attempts at cleaning him up with the overused napkin.

"Just stay still!" Dani grunted through her clenched teeth, then paused for a moment. "What are you talking about, spindly? I'll show you spindly!"

Reid frowned slightly, trying to guess her next move. He had his arm bent protectively in front of his face while his other hand fought her off. He wasn't aware that she had wiggled nearly flush on top of him, or that his neck was in an uncomfortable position against the arm of the couch.

"Just… Get… Aha!" Dani squealed after pulling his right arm and wiping his chin clean with the napkin. "I got it."

She held the sauce covered napkin in front of his face as proof, but he only swatted it away. The napkin fell helplessly to the floor, but Dani kept her hand in a tight grasp around his wrist at his side.

"Man you're a messy eater. You're lucky you have me around or you'd be walking around with food on your face half the time." Dani smiled down at him and let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah, well…" Reid frowned and tried to shift out of his uncomfortable angle, only to realize that Dani was laying on top of him, with her legs entwined with his. He swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in his throat and he shifted his gaze away from hers as he felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

"You ok? I didn't hurt you did I?" Dani's eyebrows knitted together in a moment's concern after Reid cleared his throat nervously.

"N-no… I'm… Well, I mean…" He shifted his eyes to her and then the back of the couch. His arm twitched suddenly and Dani quickly realized she was still hanging on to him.

"Oh! Sorry." She apologized then laughed all of a sudden. Reid felt the laugh tremble through her entire body. "I didn't realize I had a kung fu grip on you. It's from watching all these movies."

Reid gave a half smile and couldn't help but notice she hadn't made a motion to get off of him. He cleared his throat again, knowing his cheeks were turning redder the longer he laid there.

"Is it all gone?" He managed to squeak out the first thought that came to his mind. He saw Dani's amused expression turn confused at his question.

"Is what all gone..?" She asked, then rolled her eyes as the realization hit her. "Oh! The sauce. Uh…" He watched her somewhat flustered gaze trail down his face.

"Yup.. I think I got it all.." She commented. Her eyes seemed to focus on the area around his lips and she felt her heart start beating faster. She could already feel Spencer's heard beating rapidly through his chest and she was suddenly very aware that her chest was laying flush against his, and she wondered if he could feel her heart beat. The thought only made her mouth go oddly dry.

"Um… You-"

"Do you think-"

Dani laughed after they started talking at the same time and she was glad to see a hint of a smile spread across Spencer's face.

"I'm not hurting you am I?" Dani asked pointedly while she secretly cursed the girly giddy feeling she felt bubbling through her chest. She wasn't one who embarrassed, and she was definitely not one who got nervous around guys.

"No… No, well I mean… Besides my.. Um, my neck…" Reid stammered as he tried to reposition his head on the arm of the couch unsuccessfully. He suddenly bent his knees and lifted both their bodies so he could slide down the couch a few inches, releasing his head from the uncomfortable angle.

"Ohhh that's so much better…" He sighed as his head lay flush against the seat of the couch. The relief briefly overpowered the thoughts of the woman laying on top of him.

Dani giggled. "Geez, Spence. I didn't think you were that strong." She teased and looked down at him. He opened his eyes at the comment and looked at her face, then quickly shifted his gaze to the ceiling.

"Well, um… I mean you shouldn't judge a person's strength by their size. 95% of people are physically stronger than they look, it's just some type of stereotype like saying that-"

"Spence… Just… Be quiet for a sec…" Dani cut him off as she stared down at him with a confusing frown spread across her face. Reid froze and struggled to swallow as she stared at him, but she moved her face down slowly, then covered his own lips with hers.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and took a few seconds to realize that it was her soft lips pressed firmly against his. He tried to relay the last few minutes in his head, wondering how it led up to this, but the thoughts disintegrated as she repositioned her lips on his.

He was quickly very aware of every inch of her body that was touching his and he thought his heart was about to beat out of his chest. His whole body seemed to freeze up as he felt her lips part so slightly that he wasn't sure what to do with his own. His lack of experience seemed to fly vividly through his mind, and he found himself hoping Dani couldn't sense it.

He felt her lips part again, and this time he instinctively parted his own with her and felt the smooth, warm tip of her tongue slide cautiously into his mouth. He grazed it with his own hesitantly, and heard her take in a quick, sharp breath, then moved her body slightly to a more flushed position against him. Reid thought he heard himself moan softly at the movement and suddenly felt Dani's hand trail lightly from his wrist up his arm.

He felt his own hands begin to trail up her back underneath her shirt as the kiss deepened. All thoughts seemed to disappear and he could only think about what to do with his lips as she pressed firmly against him and brought her hand up to the side of his face, grazing it gently then tangling itself into his shaggy hair. He unconsciously moaned again as she combed her fingers in his hair and tugged gently as her tongue played softly with his.

Reid was unaware of his hands rubbing up the bare skin of her back until Dani stopped kissing suddenly and sat up. He opened his eyes suddenly to look up at her. She had a hazy look in her eyes and he didn't have much time to deliberate on it because she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing the black bra she had underneath.

"Uh…" Reid suddenly became over flustered, but Dani only smiled and leaned back down onto him, settling back into her previous position which only felt too comfortable. She quickly found his lips again with her own and Reid didn't have time to protest. Her tongue quickly found his this time and she raked her fingers through the hair on the back of his head as the kiss became more passionate and he found his fingers trailing lightly against her bare back.

His mind seemed to go blank again and he tried to focus on his hands, or his lips, or what to do with anything. Suddenly he smelled the soft scent of vanilla cascading from the woman on top of him and it rushed his mind into overdrive as it placed him to the last time the smell entered his senses. It was over a year ago and they had been in his hotel room when Dani had suddenly leaned in and began kissing him unexpectedly. It had taken him off guard and shortly after a bomb had crashed through their window, where they narrowly escaped being blown to pieces.

The thought flashed into Reid's head and his eyes quickly flew open as he gently pushed Dani back, parting her lips from his.

"Um, Dani.. I…" He stammered and frowned at the unexpected images that had plowed their way into his head during such an intimate moment. He shook his head briefly and closed his eyes, wondering exactly what he was doing.

"It just… I don't think we…" He couldn't get any words out and he blamed his immature experience levels for being so flustered after kissing. He cursed the case thoughts that had fluttered into his mind and he frowned as he thought about what he had just been doing with the woman whose case the team was working on. He learned all too well a few years back with Lila Archer how mixing victims with personal relationships can end. Dani was too good of a friend to lose for something that could be as brief, yet friendship breaking as this.

Dani stared down at him with a confused frown, then quickly sat up and tried to pull herself off of him then stood shakily on the floor beside the couch.

"Y-you're right… I… I didn't mean to, um…" She stammered and quickly plucked her discarded shirt from the floor and pulled it over her head.

Reid sat up slowly and was a little taken back by the nervous energy cascading from the girl standing in front of him. He had never seen her this flustered before and she tried to step around the couch, but banged her knee on the coffee table in the process.

"I, um.. Actually I have to go, uh… Sister…" She spit out as she looked around the living room and limped to snatch her purse from the floor, then pointed towards the front door.

"Wait, Dani…" Reid sat up straighter and looked on speechlessly as Dani slipped on her shoes and grabbed her coat from one of the bar stools.

"No, it's ok… I forgot I had to um… Sophie… I was supposed to go…" She glanced at the clock on the wall and shrugged her shoulders. "I was supposed to go see her tonight and I…" She let the sentence hang as she rifled mindlessly through her bag.

"Maybe you shouldn't.. I mean you shouldn't go um… Well, by yourself… I mean…" Reid stammered and he found himself standing now, facing the doorway where Dani stood with the door open.

"No, it's ok… I mean you saw yourself.. He's on his way to Mexico, there's no reason I couldn't.. Um…" Dani paused momentarily as she tried to gather her thoughts and push the heat away from her face. "I'm… I'm really sorry… I didn't mean to um… I'll… I'll see you later ok?"

She gave him a quick smile while avoiding his eyes and slipped out the door before Reid could stop her. He let out a huge sigh and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair as he tried to think where everything went wrong. His thoughts were in a vicious tangle and he closed his eyes, trying to think what he should do next.

He collapsed back onto the couch with his hands on his head as the two men on the tv exchanged heated words in Japanese. For once, Reid was too preoccupied to glance down at the subtitles.


	15. The Cab Driver

"Hi, my name is Dani and I'm looking for Sophie Lereux?" Her statement came out oddly as a question and the woman behind the front desk looked at her strangely for a moment before she began typing into her computer.

"I'm her sister." Dani supplied after noticing the blonde woman glance at her a little suspiciously. She nodded and typed a bit more on the keyboard as Dani looked around the front lobby of the hotel her sister and friend was staying at. It was a little small, but looked decent enough with the hardwood floors and deep gold accents displayed around the room.

"Here we are…" The blonde woman suddenly spoke and looked up at Dani. "Room 246. I… I'm not at liberty to give you a key, but you're welcome to go knock and see if Ms. Lereux is here."

Dani smiled and nodded her thanks to the blonde woman and began walking towards the elevators. It unnerved her how easy it was to get access to someone's hotel room number. From there anyone could knock on the door and claim they were housekeeping or maintenance and gain quick access to an unexpecting tenant.

She shuddered at the thought and instinctively glanced behind her before she escaped into the vacant elevator and pressed for the second floor. As the doors began to close, Dani leaned back against the wall of the elevator and let out a large sigh. Her thoughts turned to half an hour ago when she had been in Spencer's apartment, on top of him and half naked. She swore out loud and slapped her forehead as she looked back on her own stupidity and felt oddly immature at the whole scenario. She couldn't believe she had pounced on him and then quickly made a quick getaway to avoid any more embarrassment.

"So stupid…" She muttered under her breath and shook her head as the elevator stopped on the second floor and the doors opened. She stepped out and looked right then left, and decided to try her chances at going right. It paid off as she walked up to room 246 and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds she heard the lock slide and the door swung open to reveal her sister's joyous face.

"Hey sis! I was wondering when you were going to come over. Come in, come in." She waved Dani in and closed the door behind her. Dani smiled at Anna who was sitting on the bed with her laptop on her lap.

"Hey Dani, how's it going?" She greeted lightly.

"Uh, good I guess." Dani replied with a weak smile and sat on the bed opposite to Anna.

"You guess? Why, what's going on?" Sophie asked as she grabbed her jacket from the back of the desk chair and frowned curiously at her sister.

Dani laughed and shook her head before replying. "I'm just stupid. Let's just leave it at that."

Sophie smiled in reply, "Well I can vouch for that!"

Anna and Sophie laughed as Dani whacked her sister in the arm. "Come on, what are we doing tonight, then? Coffee? Movie? It's your pick, I'll pay."

"Great! I'm all ready. How about coffee first and movie later? Ann, you want to join?" Sophie asked her friend as she tossed on her jacket.

"Nah, thanks for the offer, but I've got to work on this report before we fly back. I've hardly even started it." Anna smiled at the two as she motioned to the computer on her lap.

"Ok, well looks like you get me all to yourself!" Dani mused as she wrapped an arm around her younger sister and shook her playfully.

"Ooo.. Lucky me…" Sophie groaned with a grin and the two made their exit from the hotel room and rode the elevator downstairs.

"Ok, let's get the front desk to call us a cab. It's way too far to walk downtown…" Dani suggested and turned right towards the lobby.

"Ok, well earlier Anna and I went shopping and the nicest guy was driving the cab we got into. He gave us his card and said we could use him while we were staying here and when we called him after we were done shopping, he was there in less than five minutes!" Sophie explained as she rummaged around in her purse until she produced the small business card.

"Well.. Ok, I guess. Let's hope he's fast this time too." Dani muttered as her sister handed the blonde woman at the desk the number and she smiled and picked up the phone in return.

"He said he'll be about five minutes." The blonde woman smiled brightly at the two sisters as she handed Sophie the card back. They thanked the woman and exited the lobby, deciding to wait outside.

"So what's this frazzled look you have going on tonight?" Sophie asked deviously as she eyed her sister up and down.

"Oh nothing. I kind of.. Put the moves on Spencer earlier…" She admitted without looking her sister in the eye.

Sophie let out a gasp and hit Dani quickly on the arm. "I knew it. I knew you had the hots for him!"

Dani frowned, "I do not. I mean, I didn't think I did. But there was this moment… And I just kissed him. And then he freaked out and then I freaked out and have regretted doing it since."

"Well, I'm sure he'll get over himself. Now I know the real reason you were late…" Sophie's smile widened and Dani playfully hit her again.

"Shut up. It's not like that, like I said before, we're just friends and obviously that's where we're going to stay. I should never have kissed him, now I probably just mucked things up big time.." Her voice lowered at the end of her sentence, but Sophie couldn't reply because the bright yellow taxi suddenly pulled into the drive of the hotel and out stepped a middle aged Caucasian man with glasses.

"Well good evening ladies! Ms. Lereux, I'm glad you kept my card. I'll be happy to take you wherever you like." His deep voice boomed happily as he exited the driver door and opened the back for the girls to get in. "And who's your beautiful friend here?" He asked, making small chit chat.

"Oh, this is just my sister Dani. We're going to… Uh…"

"Can you take us to Café Blanc down on 122nd?" Dani supplied once he got back into the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt.

"Sure thing." He turned to smile at the girls, then kicked the car into gear and pulled out of the hotel drive.

"So is this coffee shop any good?" Sophie asked distractedly as she dug in her purse for some chapstick.

"Yeah it's pretty good. They have amazing chocolate croissants. I mean, pretty good for being American ones, vous savez?" Dani smiled at her sister and they laughed together as the cab driver made another turn at a set of lights. The sun was mostly set and a hazy dusk was cast upon the city, making all the lamp posts light up and the neon signs stand out. Dani sat back in the leather seat of the cab and tried to not let her thoughts trail back to the moment she had with Spencer earlier.

"…want to see?" Dani snapped her focus back after she realized her sister had been talking.

"Huh?" She replied in confusion.

"I said, what movie did you want to see?" Sophie repeated as she applied the chapstick to her lips, but Dani frowned deeper once she looked out the window and saw the passing stores.

"Yoo hoo?? Dani, are you even listening to me?" Sophie waved her arms dramatically, but Dani waved her arm at her sister as she sat up straighter and tried to grasp her surroundings. Suddenly a familiar clothing store whizzed by the window and she frowned again.

"Um, excuse me? Are you sure you're going the right way?" Dani asked the driver. She was pretty sure the coffee shop was in the other direction of the clothing store that Prentiss had gone with her to a few days ago.

When the man didn't answer, Dani leaned forward slightly. "Excuse me? Sir, I think you're going in the wrong direction, I think Café Blanc is on the other side of downtown. Hello?" The man wasn't replying and Dani suddenly felt very cold, yet the back of her neck tingled with fear as the stores continued to whisk by the window.

Sophie looked at her in confusion, then at the back of the head of the driver.

"Hey Grant, are you sure you know where you're going?" She asked loudly. Dani could barely register as she looked around the cab desperately, first her eyes landed on the cab driver ID on the back of the plastic window separating them from the front. Grant Shewchuk, 45 years of age. Her eyes trailed slowly around the darkness of the back of the cab as she vaguely heard her sister asking the man to pull the car over.

"Grant, you know, you're kind of scaring me here. Why don't you just pull over and we'll catch another cab…" Sophie pleaded strongly.

Dani struggled to swallow as her throat became drier by the second and her eyes suddenly landed on the side of her door, where something didn't seem right. Her hand flew out in panic to reach for the door handle, but in its place was nothing.

Her heart started to beat wildly and her arm flew across her sister to reach for her side of the door.

"What are you doing?" Sophie looked down at her sister, then turned her attention back to the driver. "Hey buddy, are you on crack or something? Stop the car!"

Dani's hand patted the door down frantically, but she couldn't find a door handle. She sat back up and banged on the plastic wall in front of them.

"Let us out of the car!" She screamed at the man driving, but he continued to drive, unphased by the screaming girls in the back of the cab.

"What the hell is going on?" Sophie demanded as her own panic started to settle in the pit of her stomach. She looked desperately at her sister, but Dani only looked back at her with a visible expression of fear splayed across her face.

"Stop the fucking car!" Dani screamed louder as she banged on the plastic wall. Suddenly the driver hit the brakes and the two girls slammed forward.

"It's nice to finally catch up to you." He said slowly as he turned around. Dani rubbed her forehead as the aching pierce travelled through her head from banging it on the wall on the sudden stop. She immediately froze at the voice, the voice that suddenly came rushing through her. The voice that now seemed all too familiar. She could only hear the sound of her beating heart as she stared at the silhouette of the man in the front of the dark cab.

She seen him raise his arm and toss something to the back seat, then quickly closed the small window of the plastic wall. A thick smoke suddenly barrelled through whatever he threw and the last thing she heard was her sister coughing before she gave way to the darkness enveloping her.

…

**Dun Dun Dunnnn…. Please make a girl happy and send her a review!**


	16. To Wake in Fear

**Sorry this one took a little bit. Please do review!**

"Hey… Morgan, it's Reid… I… I need some advice.."

Derek Morgan sat up instantly at the young genius' request. It was almost 11 o'clock at night and he had been watching tv when the phone rang, Reid surprisingly being on the other end. The young profiler hardly ever called him unless he needed a ride, or was running late for work. This time he was asking for help, which was very unlike Reid. Morgan was all ears.

"Uh, sure man. What's going on?" Morgan positioned himself more comfortably on his leather couch and reached for the remote to turn the tv down. If Spencer Reid was asking for his help, something must be terribly wrong, so Morgan wanted to pay full attention.

Reid was quiet for a moment on the other end, but Morgan waited patiently.

"Well, Dani was… Well we were watching a movie and eating pizza when… I mean, I don't know how it happened, but we… And I… Then she, uh…" Reid stammered uncomfortably as he paced around his living room and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair.

Morgan chuckled softly, "Let me guess… You guys actually kissed and then you freaked out and she left?"

Reid froze mid-pace and frowned, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Morgan laughed again and leaned back into the soft cushion of his couch, "Reid, I've spent so much time with you I can tell what kind of anxious, nervous energy you're giving off."

"Ok. Well. It happened, and then she left. She said she forgot she had to meet her sister or something? I don't know… What am I… I mean, should I go find her? She left like almost… Two hours ago." Reid replied and continued his pacing around the coffee table.

"Ok, kid. First of all, you don't want to run out and get her. She probably feels all embarrassed now. And she's probably just with her sister like she said." Morgan explained.

Reid finally stopped the pacing and took a seat in the middle of his worn couch. "Really? I mean, you think?" He speculated.

"Yeah, sure. Now tell me, how far did you guys go and how good of a kisser is she?" Morgan asked as he brought his feet up to rest on his coffee table.

Reid hung up.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The air felt cold and damp. Her head hurt so bad that every time she tried to move it, the dull piercing flew from her forehead and trembled through her entire body.

She struggled to open her eyes, but it felt so much easier to give in to the pain and go to sleep. The main thing keeping her conscious seemed to be the constant dripping somewhere in the distance. Suddenly she heard the short, raspy breathing to her right and she tried to pry her eyes open, but the task seemed too hard.

The ache in her forehead throbbed again and she tried to raise a hand to her face, but she couldn't. She tried to move her other hand, but they both seemed to be weighed down like concrete and she couldn't move. Her heart began to pound harder at the thought and Dani's eyes flew open almost immediately.

She was in a room with brick walls and a concrete floor that looked like some kind of large basement or cellar. There was a dull light cascading throughout the space and her eyes didn't take long to adjust as she took in her surroundings. She couldn't seem to place herself or why she was there, but her eyes searched for the incessant dripping somewhere in the room. When she tried to turn around, she remembered her hands were immobile.

Her mind was waking and she started to panic after realizing she was sitting in an old, wooden chair and her hands were caught behind her back. At first she thought they were tied by rope, but when she tried to move them just a little bit, something stabbed into her and she cried out in pain, then felt a little trickle of blood trail down her wrist.

Suddenly a groan sounded to her right and she quickly turned her head to the source.

"Sophie!" Dani cried in a whisper after seeing her sister slowly raise her head from it's lulled position. She squinted and blinked hard a couple of times as she focused on her sister's face. Dani noticed the small cut on her sister's lip and winced slightly at the sight.

"Soph! Sophie, are you ok?" Dani whispered loudly with wide eyes full of concern. Sophie pursed her lips and nodded her head slowly, then struggled to move her arms.

"No, Soph don't move your hands." Dani warned quickly. "Your wrists are… It looks like… Barbed wire?" She said incredulously as she eyed her sister's hands behind the back of the chair.

"What happened to your head?" Sophie asked groggily as her senses began to surface and she noticed the trail of dried blood down Dani's face. It had come from the large lump on her forehead which was beginning to show bruising.

"Where are we?" Sophie asked without waiting for a reply. She looked around the large room and tried to swallow the panic that started to rise in her throat. Dani saw it right away and looked quickly around the room before replying to her sister.

"Sophie, don't panic. We'll get out of this, we just have to… We have to think of a plan…" Dani said, trying to keep her voice calm as her nerves shook through her body.

"A plan? Dani, where are we?? What happened??" Sophie replied in a loud whisper as her eyes widened with fear.

Dani swallowed and closed her eyes briefly. She had been thinking the exact same thing only seconds ago, and now she struggled to remember the events that led up to this.

"Ok, what do you remember… I… I was…" Dani sighed loudly all of a sudden and looked her sister in the eyes. "I was with Spencer and I… Well I ended up at your hotel…"

"…And we were going to go for coffee." Sophie jumped in quickly as her memory came back gradually. "We got in the cab and… The cab!"

"The man… I think he drugged us and-"

Suddenly a loud bang interrupted Dani and their eyes flashed to the left where one of the two doors leading out of the room was. It had slammed open and the two froze watching, waiting in fear for their kidnapper to show himself.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Morgan sat quietly at his desk, twirling a pencil between his fingers to entertain himself. It was fairly early and he was the first one to the BAU that morning. He was even surprised himself that Hotch wasn't here yet, or even Prentiss who always seemed to be one of the first ones there and one of the last to leave. Morgan was about to make a mental note to never come in early to work again when he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

He spun around in his chair and discarded to pencil, expecting to see Prentiss walking in, but to his surprise it was Reid.

"Holy Gods of the Underworld.. Am I seeing things, or is Spencer Reid actually arriving EARLY to work??" He asked unbelievably and widened his eyes in mock surprise.

Reid ignored to comment and practically threw his jacket and messenger back to his desk chair.

"Dani didn't come back last night." He said abruptly and turned to face Morgan. "I'm kind of worried."

Morgan frowned a little at first, but then broke into a smile. "Come on Casanova, she probably just stayed with her sister at that hotel."

Reid frowned, debating the idea, then shook his head slowly. "No… No I don't think she would. I mean she seems like the type of person who would call… Even if I did…" Reid paused and looked around the nearly empty bullpen. "Freak out."

Morgan laughed, "Well, I mean if you're really worried about it, just call the hotel she's staying at. Ask for the room and they'll answer and then you'll know."

Reid stared at Morgan in silence for a moment. "Geez, I didn't even think about that." He said and pushed his messenger bag to the floor so he could sit down and picked up the phone on his desk.

"Mornin' guys." Emily Prentiss greeted, slightly out of breath as she smiled and set her purse down on top of her keyboard.

"Man Prentiss, where have you been? I actually get myself out of bed early enough so I could keep you company for once, and you show up late?" Morgan whined as she shrugged off her jacket and laughed.

"Don't even get me started. There was some accident on 53rd and it was backed up to-"

Reid tuned out the conversation as the operator on the other line picked up.

"Yes, um, The Grand Towers Hotel please?" He said into the receiver and waited impatiently as he was connected through to the front desk of the hotel.

"Grand Towers Hotel." The cheery voice rand on the other end.

"Hi, I'm wondering if you could connect me through to Sophie Lereux's room please…" Reid asked quickly. The woman on the other end asked him to hold as she transferred the call.

"What's he doing?" Prentiss asked Morgan after her story about her traffic episode.

Morgan turned his head towards Reid who was hunched over his keyboard with the phone up to his ear. Morgan smiled as he turned back to Prentiss.

"He's just figuring out a couple things…" Morgan replied through the grin. Prentiss frowned and gave him a confused expression before taking a seat at her desk. Agent Hotchner walked in through the doors just then and greeted the three before walking up the stairs to his office.

"Yeah hi, um… It's Spencer Reid. Um, I don't know if you remember me or not… I picked you guys up from the-… Oh you do? Oh ok, good. Um, listen I'm wondering if Dani stayed there last night…? …What? Well, are-are you sure? They didn't come back at all? Ok… Yeah, yeah I'll let you know… Thanks…" Reid slowly hung up the receiver and sat motionless for a few seconds before spinning around in his chair to face Morgan.

"What was that all about?" Morgan questioned as soon as he saw Reid's face.

Reid frowned slightly, "That was Anna, Sophie's friend. She said Dani and Sophie went out last night practically as soon as Dani got there. They haven't returned yet, she hasn't seen either of them since 9pm last night…"

Prentiss and Morgan looked at each other then at Reid. They could see the worry showing through as he frowned in thought.


	17. Trying to Stay Calm

**Disclaimer: On zee profile.**

"Wh-What are you doing to us??" Dani choked out quietly after the older man walked into the room where Dani and Sophie were being kept. The room was large and empty, besides the two chairs holding the two girls. The floor looked like rough concrete, along with the walls and Dani had come to the conclusion that they were in some sort of a basement.

The man looked at her and smiled without saying a word. It sent an immediate shiver down her spine and she tried to swallow the dryness from her throat, but it wouldn't go away as she tried to measure up the man in front of them. He had dark grey hair and the shadow of a beard coming in. It looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. He was wearing dark trouser-like pants and a button down shirt with dark loafers. He looked like an average man you would see walking down the street, but Dani knew who this man was inside and seeing him close up was enough to make her nauseous.

"Well it's nice to see you again too, Dani. Or should I say _Daniette_." The man spoke with his back to the two girls.

Dani froze instantly and eyed the back of his head with suspicion, "How did you know my real name…" She asked, keeping her voice level at the unnerving statement.

Sophie glanced back and forth between the strange man and her sister. She felt too scared to speak and she had a hard enough time trying to keep her breathing even.

The man continued to busy himself on a small tray table without answering Dani. She remained silent for a few minutes, then couldn't stand his silence anymore.

"I SAID HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME." She nearly yelled at the man. The only people who knew her full name Daniette, was her late mother and her sister. And now her mother was gone, and her sister had sworn not to tell anyone.

The two girls watched as the man stopped what he was doing and spun around to look Dani in the eye.

"Oh, my sweet Dani, there are many things you don't know about me. We had our moments. Remember, I waited for you to get home that night. You were very resistant and I couldn't allow that, now could I?" A small smile crept across the man's lips as he took a few steps forward, bridging the gap between him and Dani. "You know, you fought so hard, but you just couldn't get away from me could you."

Dani but her lip hard as she stared her attacker in the eyes. She couldn't take the look he was giving her. As he stared back, his face only a couple feet away, Dani spit at him.

"Ohh you're going to regret that…" He muttered menacingly as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the saliva from his cheek.

Dani set her jaw sternly and waited for what the man would do. As long as she kept his attention on her, there was no reason for him to turn to Sophie. With that in mind, Dani continued to stare at the man as me moved forward.

She heard Sophie scream in protest, but it was too late as he lunged forward.

* * *

"Dani came over around 9:00 last night. Her and Sophie were going to go out for coffee. They asked if I wanted to come, but I had work to do, so I declined… Now… Maybe if I would have went…" Anna had been brought back to the BAU after a few hours had passed along with multiple calls to Dani's cell phone and no one heard from either her or her sister.

The team watched intently as Anna told them everything she knew. Her eyes began to well up as she spoke and Prentiss laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Anna, it wouldn't have mattered if you were there. You probably would have been dragged into whatever happened. You can't think like that. Now, do you remember anything at all strange since you arrived here? Anyone following you or maybe someone suspicious who works at the hotel?" Prentiss asked calmly.

Anna swallowed and smiled a small thanks as Morgan passed her a tissue. She took a deep breath as she thought carefully.

"Well, there was this cab driver… Soph and I went shopping and he drove us there, then gave us his card. We called him again when we were done and he was there right away. He seemed really nice, and he was quick so we decided to keep his card for next time." She explained.

Reid frowned at the thought and looked up from his notepad. "Do you remember anything on the card? The cab company name, maybe?"

Anna frowned, but shook her head. "No. I don't even have it, Sophie kept it in her purse." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I remember it looked different. I thought it was a little too simple to be a professional cab business card. I thought maybe it was a privately owned business or something…"

"Do you remember his name?" Morgan asked from his perch on top of the table.

"Grant." Anna said after a few seconds. "Grant… Something…" She frowned in thought, trying to place his last name. "Shewchuk. I remember because I know someone with that last name back home. Grant Shewchuk."

Hotch stood quickly and looked at Rossi and JJ, "I want you two to check every cab company for a Grant Shewchuk. Get Garcia to run the name through the system and see if she comes up with any names."

The two nodded quickly before leaving the room, then Hotch looked back at the other three. "Prentiss, I want you to check with the airlines again. Make them check Jared Foster's location, ensure he got off in Mexico like Garcia saw. We need to make sure we're not dealing with the same person here."

Prentiss stood and offered a small smile to the young blonde sitting in the chair before exiting the room.

"Reid, Morgan, go over all the details since the girls have been in town. See if this guy's behaviour seems familiar. I'm going to go find out if they have outdoor security cameras at the store you two went to." Hotch explained as he looked at Anna. With a brief nod he left the room.

"Jared Foster… That name sounds familiar…" Anna frowned as she tried to remember where she had heard it before.

"He's the man who attacked Dani a year ago…" Reid supplied gravely.

Anna's eyes widened as she remembered. "Oh right. But… I thought he was found dead? Wasn't he?" She asked as her glance switched back and forth between the two profilers.

"We thought so, but looks like he's a lot more crafty than we had originally thought." Morgan replied shortly. "Now, lets run through this again. What did the cab driver look like?"

Anna took a deep breath before running over any detail she could remember.

* * *

"What are you doing?! Stop it!!" Sophie screamed at the man who hit her sister across the face. She watched on in horror as Dani's head lulled to one side and for a moment, she was afraid he had knocked her unconscious.

The man ran a hand through his hair and straightened his shirt before taking a step back. The odd smile was placed on his face again as he looked at Dani who moaned suddenly and pulled her head back up.

"What do you want…?" She moaned as the pain pierced through her face. She longed to bring her hand up to where he had struck, but when she moved her hand on instinct, the barbed wire pierced the skin on her wrists again.

"What do I want?" The man laughed softly. "Oh Dani, if only you knew what I've been put through…" He turned unexpectedly, back to the small table and began moving his hands.

"You know, you're not so different you and I. Tell me, when did you start taking the drugs? Was it before or after you started doing all the modeling?" He asked, unusually calm after just having lashed out on Dani.

Sophie looked at her sister with a hard stare after what the man had just said. She had no idea her sister had been on drugs and the thought crossed her mind that this man was a drug dealer and Dani owed him lots of money. She looked at her sister quizzically, looking for an answer.

Dani shook her head in response, motioning to her sister that it was nothing to worry about. When she turned to her, Sophie could see a fresh cut right below her left eye were the man's fist had struck and she was about to ask her if she was ok, but the man turned around quickly and stepped forward.

"I'm sorry I did that, but you have to learn your manners." He said and held up a damp towel to Dani's face. She closed her eyes and tried to angle her head away from him, but it was impossible being tied to the chair.

She held her breath as he wiped the blood from the fresh cut, and the dried blood from her forehead. She wasn't sure what to expect from the man, he seemed to go from one extreme to the other in a matter of seconds. Once she felt the towel pull away, she dared to open her eyes again.

"I'll be back. I have some things I need to prepare." He said before setting the towel down and walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Prepare? What is he preparing??" Sophie asked in a harsh whisper as soon as the door was securely closed. "Are you ok?" She asked with a more concerned tone.

Dani closed her eyes and nodded slowly, trying to keep her mind of the blinding pain throbbing in her head. She took a deep breath and looked at her sister with a tight smile. She had to be strong for her sister. She dragged her into this mess and she was going to get her out of it.

"Soph. I need you to be strong ok? Don't say anything against his word. Agree with anything he says, and don't yell or get defensive. He seems like he could crack at any second and we don't want to know what will happen if he snaps again, ok? We'll get out of this I promise.." Sophie nodded quietly and Dani closed her eyes for a brief moment. If she had learned anything from Spencer while she has known him, it was a few tips and statistics he has told her regarding unsubs and random attacks. She has learned a little about human behaviour and psychologically challenged individuals and hoped she was making the right choices with dealing with them.

**Apologies if this one was a little short. I don't think I did justice with this chapter, but feel free to review with suggestions! Or just review for that matter ******


	18. Who is it?

**Here is the next one. I'm sorry if it kind of seems all over the place, I was having a hard time concentrating today! Reviews are most welcome.**

"Hotch, I found something…"

Prentiss rushed into Agent Hotchner's office quickly and he looked up at her from the notes in front of him.

"It took a lot of running around, but after speaking to the terminal Jared Foster should have got out of, I found out that the other day they had a lot of commotion and had to call the police in. They made an arrest on a Fred Santon for Identity Fraud and risk of terrorism." Prentiss spoke with a rushed tone as she looked at the papers she had the Mexican police department fax over to her.

"Is there any connection..?" Hotch asked sceptically, unsure of where Prentiss was going.

"Yes!" She exasperated and handed him the one fax page, "This Fred Santon was arrested for Identity Theft. The passport he used to get into the country was Jared Foster's…"

Hotch frowned as he looked down at the copy of Jared Foster's passport in his hands.

"The police told me that Fred Santon was claiming he didn't steal it, but Jared Foster himself sold the passport to him for a cheap price when he met him in the Nice airport…" Prentiss looked at Hotch as he studied the fax in his hands, and watched as the frown deepened.

"Get the team together in the board room." Was Hotch's reply. Prentiss nodded and quickly made her escape to gather the others.

* * *

"Garcia, did you find anything on the name Grant Shewchuk?"

Hotch asked as he looked at the team settled around the large boardroom table. He remained standing, not able to sit down and paced slowly in the small space as the thoughts swirled in his mind.

"Not in our system. Not even a birth certificate or social insurance number. When I got into the cab company, I ran the description of the car Anna gave us and came up with nothing. Nada." Garcia replied with a shrug.

"What's saying this guy hasn't just painted his car and slapped a light on top with a fake company name on the side? He could have printed out a fake cab ID himself and the cops wouldn't catch him for a while." Morgan pointed out in frustration, but Garcia smiled in response.

"That's exactly what I thought." She said, her face beaming. "I remember Anna had mentioned that she had no idea the cab was a fake, because the guy had the meter in the front and everything. There's pretty much only one kind of place you can get that handy little tool, so I contacted the wholesale store that sells specifically any objects relating to cab drivers and cab companies. They sell anything from the decal for the outside of the car, to those little ID holders to stick on the back."

"Did you find anything useful?" Reid interrupted. He couldn't take the ticking clock anymore. Every second they spend talking, it's another second towards Dani and her sister lost.

"Don't get your panties in a knot." Garcia frowned at the hostile comment from the young profiler. "I asked them to run a check on any meters purchased in the last week. They had 24 on file. Then I asked if anyone by the name of Grant Shewchuk happened to purchase a cab ID from them and they had a match. They faxed it over to me and…" Garcia paused to hand out the printed pages she received only moments ago. "I think WE have a match…"

The team took a second to study the large copy of the cab ID in front of them. Staring up at them from the page was the sombre face of Jared Foster, a near perfect match to the driver's license they confiscated as evidence from over a year ago.

"Son of a bitch." Morgan cursed out loud as he tossed the paper to the middle of the table and rubbed a hand over his face.

"JJ get a good description from Anna on the car. We have the company name now and a license plate number, I want you to get this out to the press to see if anyone has seen the car driving around or knows where it went." Hotch practically demanded immediately.

"You got it." JJ replied and grabbed the file in front of her to walk out of the boardroom. She may not be a profiler, but now she was able to do what she was good at and she would be damned if she didn't get this on every newscast of the hour. She knew what strings to pull and was already writing down names to call as she stepped into the office where Anna was waiting.

"Ok, think of the profile, where would this guy feel most comfortable taking the girls." Hotch turned back to the rest of the team. His eyes instinctively landed on Reid, who was frowning angrily at the paper in front of him while he unconsciously bit on his bottom lip.

"Reid?" Hotch asked, his voice hiding the concern he was thinking. Reid looked up from the paper and realized he hadn't been listening. The only thoughts going through his head at that moment were from the night before. If only he hadn't freaked out… He was the one who drove Dani out of his apartment and now she was kidnapped by the man who tried to kill her a year ago. If he had pushed for a DNA test after the car explosion like his instincts asked, they would have known from the start that Jared Foster was still out there. His gut had told him never to let Dani go off on her own, and he let her go. Now her's and her sister's lives were at stake, if they were even still…

"Um." Reid's voice cracked as he spoke and he shook the crazy thoughts from his head while closing his eyes and driving his brain to focus on the profile. "He… He kept every single photo or newspaper clipping in a specific spot in his apartment. None were on display, they were all kept hidden away in his coffee table, almost like a secret…" He frowned as the details flooded back into his mind.

"He's smart enough not to take them somewhere public. He has the intelligence to somehow avert them from knowing who he is until they are isolated from making a scene and bringing on suspicion." Prentiss thought out loud to keep the ball rolling.

"Yeah, but the question is, where would he take them?" Rossi replied sternly, snapping the group's attention back to figuring out the question at hand.

Reid sat silently, forcing his brain to think into overdrive, flying through the details of the year old case. He tried to catch anything that would give a clue to where this man would take Dani, but all he could think about was the night before. He remembered the surprised feeling that instantly froze over him after Dani's lips had landed on his. The fact that he nearly melted as she began kissing him and was pretty sure his own hands began roaming. He remembered vividly how he practically dove up from the couch and blocked her off, freezing up as he always did around women. No matter how close he was to her, he still freaked out practically the moment intimacy sprouted between them.

Reid stared down at the papers in front of him as the conversation between the rest of the team buzzed around him. He tried to look busy, but the thoughts swirled madly in his mind. His lack of experience with women tripped him up every time, and now because of it Dani was missing. She was most likely kidnapped by her assaulter. Kidnapped because someone didn't do their job right by requesting a DNA test on the incinerated body found in the car wreckage.

_Kidnapped because of me… _The thought continued to poke at Reid until he looked up after realizing someone had been calling his name.

Morgan was raising an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to answer whatever unheard question he had asked. Reid swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and tried to hide the flush that was spreading on his cheeks.

"I, um… I have to go get some coffee, I can't think straight." Reid mumbled and excused himself from the boardroom before quickly escaping down the hall towards the break room.

He didn't notice the looks the rest of the team gave each other as he left, but was hoping for a distraction once he stepped into the small room holding the coffee. He pulled out a mug from one of the cupboards only to notice his hands were shaking. He set the mug beside the coffee pot and leaned against the counter for a moment to clear his head.

"You doing alright, kid?" Morgan's voice suddenly sounded from the doorway, causing Reid to spin around quickly.

"Yeah." Reid answered fast, so fast that Morgan instantly knew he wasn't doing so well. Even if Reid didn't know it yet, Morgan could see something inside of him that cared about Dani more than a friend.

"You know we'll find her." Morgan pointed out gently and pulled a mug from the cupboard for himself. Reid nodded, but didn't say anything in reply as he filled both mugs from the coffee pot.

"I just… I shouldn't have let her leave…" Reid finally admitted before taking a sip of the steaming brew.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, man." Morgan elbowed the lanky genius beside him. "None of this is your fault, you had no idea. Now, all we can do is what we do best and find this guy, ok?"

Reid nodded again without answering.

"Hotch wants you to keep trying her cell phone. There could be a chance she still has it on her, or she could have dropped it somewhere and someone will answer the ringing. Then we'll have a partial trail." Morgan explained as the two started walking out of the room. "Hotch has got Garcia running anything and everything through that computer of hers, JJ's already got the car description out, and Prentiss is ready to interview anyone in the city to track this guy down. Don't worry Reid, you've got the whole team working their asses off to find these girls."

Reid gave a half smile as he trailed Morgan down the hallway and pulled the cell phone from his pocket. He'd walk to Garcia's room first and get her to put an automatic trace attached to his phone incase someone does answer on the other end. He could at least hope.

* * *

"Dani, what's going to happen to us…?" Sophie asked in a whisper, her voice wavering at the many thoughts trailing through her mind. The man still hadn't returned yet, but she felt the need to keep her voice low on the chance he could hear them.

"I don't know…" Dani hated to admit it, but she didn't know. She looked to her sister and winced at the sight of tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over her cheeks at any moment. Dani frowned and clenched her jaw with angry frustration. She had to remain strong and not give into her own tears that were trying to force their way down her own cheeks.

"Sophie, I need to tell you something…" Dani said quietly after eyeing the door on the other side of the room. Sophie looked at her expectantly and forced herself to stop crying. "I… I think I know who this guy might be. I think he's Jared Foster. The man that…"

Dani let the sentence hang. She couldn't even bring herself up to say it, but Sophie immediately understood because Dani noticed the wave of fresh fear that crossed her face.

"Don't be scared Soph." Dani pleaded in a whisper. "We'll get out I promise. All we have to-"

Suddenly the door banged open, cutting Dani off as their heads both snapped to see the man walking briskly towards them with something in his hand. When he was about half way towards them Dani heard the soft tune play, instantly recognizing it as her cell phone ring.

"Who is this?!" He demanded angrily and held the silver object towards Dani.

She cowered back into her chair, trying to push herself as far away as she could from the angry man in front of her.

"I said who is this?!" He pushed the cell phone into her face, then suddenly pulled out a gun from behind his back and pointed it at her sister's head. Sophie let out a soft whimper at the sight as her eyes widened uncontrollably.

Dani tried to find her voice, but couldn't as her own eyes widened in fear and her whole body began to shake. She tried to read the caller ID, but couldn't adjust her vision to the small screen.

"Tell me. Spencer. Who is he?!" The man shook the phone and shouted at Dani so loud, it made her wince almost as if he had hit her again.


	19. Law & Order?

"This Spencer. Who is he?!"

Jared Foster nearly shouted at Dani. She closed her eyes, wishing she could magically escape, but knew it was pointless. The man continued to beckon her and he couldn't find her voice to answer. It pained her deep that Spencer's reassuring voice and knowledge of what to do was only a foot away, yet she couldn't talk to him. The tears stung the inside of her eyelids as she wondered if she would ever be able to talk to him again. She had stormed out on him under the worst circumstances, leaving him confused and alone and now she may never be able to apologize.

"WHO!?" Jared Foster's booming voice broke her thoughts and her eyes flew open.

"S-Spencer. Spencer Reid… He's… He's my boyfriend." Dani said quickly as the idea suddenly came into her head.

She briefly glanced to her right and seen Sophie's wide, questioning eyes boring at her, but Dani had to ignore it and try to keep her composure.

"You'll tell him you're unavailable. You got called into work or something. You won't be seeing him today. You're too busy!" Jared Foster yelled and Dani noticed him shake slightly. She wasn't sure if it was from nerves or anger, but didn't want to urge him on to find out.

She nodded silently, thanking God that she would be able to hear Spencer's voice. She was hoping it would be what she needed to keep her sanity and composure in lock.

"I'm dead serious. You say ANYTHING about what happened or where you are and-" Jared Foster paused as he cocked the hammer on the hand gun he was holding at Sophie's head. She whimpered as the sound echoed in the contained room and he shushed her to be quiet. "One word about where you are or what happened and she dies!"

"I-I understand." Dani managed to choke out and she took a deep breath as the man flipped the cell phone open and held it to Dani's ear, and gave her a stern look before keeping a firm eye on Sophie's wincing face.

"H-hello?" Dani asked, trying to sound normal. She inhaled a deep, shaky breath, knowing that if she led anything on, her only chance at escaping would be doomed. Along with her little sister.

"Dani!!" Spencer's voice exclaimed from the other end. Morgan immediately turned his attention to the young genius once he heard the outburst. He threw the papers he was holding to his desk and waved Hotch over to them.

"Dani! Dani, where are you? Please tell me you're ok… We… We're worried you got kidnapped." Spencer continued talking, his voice getting louder, unconsciously afraid that they would somehow get disconnected.

"Hi sweetie," Dani replied a little shakily. It was harder than she thought. She wanted to scream at Spencer that her and her sister were being held captive by the same man who attacked her last year. She wanted to scream her apologies at him before anything could happen. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry, but she couldn't do either. One look at the gun the man was holding at her sister and she kept her emotions in check.

"Sweetie?... Dani, are… Are you ok?" Spencer frowned in confusion and glanced at Morgan. The first thought that came into his mind was that she was drugged.

"I know, I'm sorry hun. My sister and I were out late so we decided to get a hotel last night. Yeah, then I got called into work early this morning…" Dani continued as if in conversation, and took a quick glance at Jared Foster's face. His jaw was set tight and his eyes were locked on Sophie. Dani tried to keep her breathing even, as long as she didn't say anything to jeopardize her sister, it should buy them a little more time.

"Hun? Dani, why are you calling me these things? You got called to work? Dani, you don't even have a job… Where are you, are you ok??" Spencer pressed again. Now he had Hotch's and Rossi's attention. Garcia had been walking quickly into the bullpen and was about to announce something, but snapped her mouth shut once she noticed the others intently looking at Reid.

"No, I know, I'm sorry. I'll… I'll probably be at work until really late. Yes… Yeah I know we were supposed to watch Law & Order tonight… Yeah I know it's one of your favourite episodes with Kirsten Dunst guest starring. I'm sorry, ok? I.. I just can't, there's no way." Dani tried to speak believably, finding it harder than she thought to have a one sided conversation. From the looks of the man in front of her, he seemed to be believing her act, which made her relax a little.

"What? Law & Order, Dani… Dani, just tell me where you are…" Spencer pleaded, fearing she may have fell off the wagon last night. Maybe she wasn't abducted by Jared Foster, maybe she just had a drug overdose.

"I can't! Spencer, I have to be at work, one of the system's crashed and we need to get this figured out. You'll just have to watch Law & Order yourself, ok?" Dani cried, hoping that Spencer would catch on.

Suddenly Jared Foster pulled the phone away and flipped it closed.

"Well, that seemed to be a proper time to hang up. Seems you two are having troubles anyways." He pulled the gun from it's position at Sophie and Sophie instantly relaxed. Dani closed her eyes, trying not to cry at the fact that her connection to Spencer was instantly cut off and she would probably never be able to talk to him again.

"Had to keep it under 30 seconds anyways, don't want any cops being able to trace your phone…" Jared mumbled loudly as he glanced at his watch to ensure the call was less than that. "Well, we'll just have to make sure nobody will try calling you again now, will we? I couldn't stand that infernal racket of a ring that kept going off every 5 minutes anyways…"

Jared Foster took one last glance at the phone before throwing it hard to the ground, making Sophie and Dani jump at the sudden action. The phone shattered and Dani's eyes flew wide at the sight while she tried not to panic. The only thing keeping her calm was that she knew how smart Spencer was. She could only hope he knew what she had really been saying.

* * *

Spencer Reid cursed loudly as he shot up from his chair and stared at his cell phone blankly. He knew the call had been disconnected, but he continued to call Dani's name into it over and over until he rendered it useless and looked at the people staring at him.

"She's… She's gone." He announced with a confused frown and ran a hand restlessly through his messy hair.

"Garcia, can you see if we got a trace?" Hotch asked with his usual serious tone.

She quickly jumped from her previous position, "I'm on it!" She replied and walked briskly towards her computer room down the hall.

"Reid, what did she say, is she ok?" Morgan pressed, trying to keep Reid's attention on the case at hand.

Reid looked up at Morgan and closed his eyes briefly, trying to recall the conversation as his heart beat evened out.

"She… She kept calling me sweetie and hun… She said her and Sophie got a hotel room last night because it was late. She said she got called into work this morning?" Reid rattled off as he remembered and opened his eyes to the men standing in front of him.

"Work? She doesn't have a job…" Rossi pointed out quickly, ignoring the sweetie comment. He hadn't had much time to assess Reid's personal situation, it wasn't something he liked to get into. But he couldn't be sure how close the two actually were, he decided to brush the comments off and dig into the questions that mattered.

"I.. I know. I don't know why she would have said that…" Reid's frown deepened as he thought. "She said something about Law & Order… I don't know."

"Reid. Do you think Jared Foster has her? Maybe she couldn't say anything that would risk her life?" Morgan speculated just as Garcia came running back to them from the hallway.

"Ok. There was no trace. The call wasn't long enough." She announced a little breathlessly, not trying to hide the disappointed tone in her voice. "But I did put an automatic recording on Reid's phone. I have the conversation here…"

The other four looked at the tape in Garcia's hand.

"Morgan, get Prentiss and JJ. Garcia, set it up in the boardroom, everyone meet there in 5 minutes." Hotch advised quickly as he turned back to his office.

* * *

'…I know we were supposed to watch Law & Order tonight… Yeah I know it's one of your favourite episodes with Kirsten Dunst guest starring. I'm sorry, ok? I.. I just can't, there's no way.'

The team listened to the conversation for the fourth time in a row, and everyone frowned in thought as it played. Suddenly Reid reached out and pressed the pause button, then remained standing as he looked at the group.

"She keeps repeating about Law & Order… Why would she specify that show?" Reid asked, trying to decode Dani's conversation, if there was even anything to decode.

"No kidding, Law & Order isn't even on tonight." JJ announced offhandedly as she stared at the recorder in the middle of the table. She glanced up only to see the odd looks the rest of the team was giving her.

"What? So I'm a Law & Order junkie, ok? Now you know." She shrugged her shoulders and the others raised their eyebrows before continuing the conversation.

"Ok, so she specified the show being on tonight, even though it's not. Reid, you know her better than any of us, do you think she's… Do you think she's been drugged?" Morgan frowned at the thought as he looked at the young profiler, still in his standing position.

"No… At least.. I don't think so…" He replied quietly, but inside was debating the thought himself. They could be wasting their time trying to find underlying messages within the conversation.

"Reid. Dani knows you. She wouldn't have made up stuff if it wasn't for no reason. She knows you would be the only one to crack it. He could have been within ear shot, she knows you as much as you know her. Think harder…" Prentiss advised gently.

Reid nodded and pressed the play button again on the recorder then held his chin in his hands as he paced in the boardroom as the conversation continued. Once it was over, he walked back to his seat and the group remained silent for a second.

"Why would she call Reid 'sweetie' and 'hun'? I assume it's nothing she's done before…" Morgan asked, then gave Reid a teasing stare to confirm. Reid shook his head quickly as his cheeks pinkened for a few seconds. He hoped the team didn't notice as someone replied.

"She could have told Jared Foster that he was her boyfriend or something? Showing an unsub a more personal part of your life is a good idea to make yourself seem less like an inanimate object. If she was only an object of affection in his eyes, she could have been pressing details to make her seem more human." Prentiss suggested and looked around the table for anyone who agreed.

"She said she got called into work. We know she doesn't have a job, but do you think Jared Foster would know that?" Rossi asked. "When we entered this guy's apartment last year, he had photographs and every detail of her life for practically the last seven years. What would change now?"

Reid swallowed hard at the thought of Jared Foster finding out Dani's lie. He knew Dani was an intelligent woman, but if Jared Foster was the same man as a year ago, he would know most of the details on her life. He tried to find his voice to reply, but was a little surprised when nothing would come out.

"No, remember Jared Foster's been practically travelling the world this past year to find her. There's no way he could know everything she has been up to lately, he's had no time to stalk her, or follow her around. The first time he got word on her whereabouts he probably only had time to plan the kidnapping and went for it as soon as he could." JJ pointed out after seeing the worry splayed all over Reid's face. She noticed Morgan looking at Reid in concern as well and wondered how he was holding up through the ordeal. He may not notice it yet, but she has women's intuition on her side and she was sure she could sense something there.

"Ok. I'm going to get Garcia to run a search on any Law & Order episodes that may have guest starred Kirsten Dunst just in case. She very well could have made up the fact to buy herself some time, she knows how long it takes to trace a call so she could have just been doing that. But on the off chance she was hitting at something bigger I'm going to get her to search it. I want you guys to split up, some keep going over the recording, the others check in with the police and the hot line. See if anyone has released any information on the cab." Hotch advised quickly. "We can only assume Jared Foster's got these girls, and if he does we have to act quickly, there's no saying what he's planning to do."

With the last comment, Hotch made his way out of the boardroom and the others split into two groups. Reid remained silent as Hotch's last comment played over and over in his mind.


	20. Family

**A/N: I made up the Law & Order episode starring Kirsten Dunst. To my knowledge, she never guest starred in any Law & Order episodes. Please review.**

"Reid, Dani's smart. She's not your average victim. She's been with you all this time, you can't deny that she doesn't know how you think. She could have been trying to tell you something here." Morgan gestured to the stopped recorder in the middle of the boardroom table as Reid was holding his head in his hands. It had been almost an hour since the team split up and Morgan and Reid were left to the boardroom to decipher the recording, if there was anything to decipher.

Reid took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he struggled to focus on the words that had came out of Dani's mouth, rather than the way she had sounded when she said it. He was always one to look logically at any explanation, any confession, any statement from a victim, but this time something was different. The only thing he could think about was the emotion that had been hidden behind the words. He wasn't a socially smart person, didn't ever know the right thing to say, how to tell when something was wrong, but as soon as he heard Dani's voice, he could tell she was scared. He could feel it, too.

"She's never called me… Anything like that before… It's obvious she's trying to seem like a real person to this guy. She said she got called in to work, we know that's made up. She knows we would know… She referenced Law & Order twice. When I asked her to tell me where she was she replied with 'I can't. I'm sorry, I can't watch Law & Order with you'. She said it so clearly to make sure I would understand, like she was pointing it out. I think she was leading us on to something… Somehow… I don't know." Reid replied with a frown as if he was unsure of his own words.

Morgan cracked a smile suddenly, making Reid's frown deepen in confusion.

"What are you smiling about..?" He asked tentatively.

"Reid, my man. You think too much with your head all the time. Sometimes you have to listen to your gut. You can't always find solutions with your mind, sometimes you have to listen from the inside…" Morgan explained and Reid remained silent for a few moments before exhaling a sigh.

"I think she was trying to tell me something…" He finally admitted, a little surprised at himself for believing his gut instinct opposed to the thoughts mingled in his mind.

Morgan nodded with a smile just as Hotch and Prentiss entered the boardroom, interrupting their conversation. They both had grim expressions on their faces and Hotch quickly dialled on the speakerphone before he spoke.

"Garcia ran a search for any Law & Order episode which may have guest starred Kirsten Dunst." He advised just as Garcia picked up on the other end. "Garcia, tell us what you found."

Reid and Morgan looked at each other, their expressions turned serious as they instinctively stared at the phone in the middle of the table.

"Ok, so I ran the search, and to my surprise, there actually WAS an episode that guest starred Kirsten Dunst. She was only about 12 years old at the time, but it's here…" Garcia spoke, genuinely shocked when she had found the episode. The shock had quickly turned into fear, once Garcia had quickly skimmed over the episode highlights and the basics of what it had been about.

"Hey guys, we checked with the hotlines on the-" JJ and Rossi rushed into the boardroom, but had skitted to a stop once Hotch raised his hand. Their words came to a halt as they heard Garcia's voice booming from the speakerphone on the table.

"I just sent a copy of the episode recap to the fax in there." Garcia announced and seconds later the fax machine began running, spitting out a few pages. "I haven't read the entre thing yet, but… It's… Well. If Dani was actually referencing something at all from this episode, I'm going to say it would be the kidnapping part for sure."

Reid quickly stood up after the fax machine began running and quickly grabbed the first page to skim quickly. After he was finished, the second page had come through and he immediately snatched it up to read as well.

"Reid, what you got?" Morgan asked as he seen Reid intently reading over the pages. After he finished the third page, he looked up at the team with wide eyes.

"Kirsten Dunst played a 12 year old girl who was kidnapped by a man." Reid began.

"Well we already know that part is true. Dani would know we knew because you mentioned it in the conversation." Prentiss interrupted him before he could continue, but instead of getting annoyed, Reid only nodded and looked back at the page in his hand.

"In the episode, he kidnapped her and beat her unconscious, then held her captive in his basement for years. She had been confined to the underground room and he nearly attacked her every night. It turned out police had searched his home and the store he owned, but could never find anything. He had been keeping her in a secret passage to the basement of his store, which no one knew was there…" Reid explained as his heart began beating faster at the thoughts of Dani being held captive somewhere, being attacked.

"Ok. We don't know if it's the same thing that has happened, but it's the only lead we have." Hotch announced, and for once was unsure how to continue.

"No, no! I remember…" Reid cut him off suddenly and ran back to the table to rewind the player, then pressed play. He turned the volume up louder as Dani's voice boomed throughout the boardroom. The team looked at each other in confusion, but leaned in to join Reid who was bent over the recorder, intently listening.

"Her voice sounded like it was echoing slightly, like she was in a large room. It could be an empty basement and then…" Reid paused for a minute as he listened carefully. "There! You can hear water dripping when she stops talking for a second."

Morgan pushed Reid out of the way and rewound the recording then played it again for himself. He turned the volume up to nearly max it out and soon heard the dripping sound in the distance.

"Reid's right." He said as he turned around to face the team. "I could hear it."

"Garcia, can you clear up the recording and focus on any background noises. Something could be there that can tip us off where they're being held." Hotch asked, knowing Garcia was still on the other line.

"Yes sir, I'm on it." Garcia quickly replied and hung up, already prepared to do her part as much as she could to help find these two girls. She began typing feverishly on her keyboard, trying to push the thoughts out of her head of what these girls could be going through right now. She didn't know Sophie Lereux at all, but she had bonded with Dani and felt extremely unsettled at the events and would do all she could in her power to help the team out to find them.

"Hotch, we got a few tips on the cab sightings." JJ spoke up after Garcia ended her call. She held out the piece of paper with the written information on it.

"One person said they noticed an abandoned cab on 43rd and Terwilliger, and another person said the noticed one early this morning on the way to work. It was on 95th and 9th. Both said they took a look inside and no one was around." She advised then looked back up to the rest of the team.

"Ok, lets split up, I want Rossi, JJ and I to go to the first one and Morgan, Reid and Prentiss, you go to the second one. Keep your eyes open. This guy would have parked close, he couldn't bring two girls far, and he most likely had to take one at a time. He wouldn't risk leaving one alone in the car for long."

The team quickly grabbed their things and made their way out of the building to the parking lot. Reid could only hope that nothing had happened to the two girls.

* * *

Dani Lereux frowned as she struggled to position her heavy head in a way that wouldn't hurt her neck as much. She was so tired, she could feel her whole body aching for sleep and the pain at her wrists and ankles from the bindings were practically numb now. She could no longer feel any trickles of blood escaping from the small puncture wounds and hoped that the bleeding had stopped.

She turned to look at Sophie and her heart lurched at the sight of her sister. Her face was pasty white and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. She could tell she was cold because she continued to shake and attempted repositioning her body every few minutes, then let out a small whimper as the barbed wire jammed into her limbs.

"Sophie, don't worry. We'll get through this together ok? I won't let anything happen to you…" Dani whispered to her right and tried to hold back her own sob. Her own body was freezing, almost wishing she could just fall asleep to escape the numbness she felt. But she kept her head up and forced herself to remain conscious, she couldn't allow anything to happen to her sister.

"Dani, I'm scared… What's going to happen to us?" Sophie whimpered and Dani cringed at the pain in her voice.

"Soph, don't be scared I'm right here with you." Dani said, ignoring the latter part of her question and tried to point out something more comforting.

The loud bang of the door opening echoed through their underground chambers, making the two girls jump slightly. Jared Foster stormed out and stood in front of the girls, looking at them sombrely for a few minutes, before his eyes landed on Dani. She frowned and found her courage to stare him back in the eyes, wondering what was going through his mind.

He only continued to stare at her, making Dani more uncomforatable by the minute, and the anger bubbled up through her until she couldn't take it anymore.

"What do you want with us?!" Dani shouted at him and held back the tears threatening to trail down her cheeks. She didn't feel much fear anymore, she was beyond being afraid now. She wanted answers, wanted to know what this man wanted with them.

The man chuckled softly under his breath, nearly driving Dani livid when he didn't respond. Sophie watched on and remained quiet as Dani glared at this man infront of them.

"What do you want with my sister and I." Dani practically demanded and frowned as a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek. She angrily wiped it off on her shoulder, trying not to let this man see her breaking.

Jared Foster pried his eyes from Dani for a moment to study Sophie's trembling body to her right. She avoided looking him in the eyes and was squeezing her own eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears. He chuckled and turned back to Dani.

"Your sister? What ever made you think I wanted anything to do with your sister?" He asked with a level voice, making Dani frown in confusion at his reply. "I only wanted you, Dani..."

Sophie looked at her sister and seen the expressions pass her face. Confusion, fear, worry. She looked on, praying that this man wasn't going to hurt her sister.

"What do you mean... Let Sophie go then if it's me you want." Dani replied bravely and gave a quick side glance at her sister. She waited patiently, clenching her jaw, for the man to respond.

"I never wanted your sister. She happened to be there so I very well couldn't let her run free and tell everyone what happened. I had to make new plans." He explained and shrugged as if this were an everyday occurrence. He turned his back to them then as he busied himself on the small tray table. Dani swallowed the lump in her throat as she thought about what he could be planning.

"Your sister is only a part of this. Dani this is about you, but I can't let your sister go. She will be staying right here with us." He continued before turning around and facing her again.

"What do you want with me?!" Dani screamed at him. She was near tears now, she could feel her front falling, she didn't know how much longer she could be brave.

The man chuckled again. "I don't know why you cut all your hair off. You looked so much prettier with longer hair." He disregarded her question as he studied the short locks of her hair which was sticking out slightly. "And about those pills you were taking. I don't know what that's about, but there are no excuses. You'll need to be punished."

Dani frowned in confusion at the words spilling out of the man's mouth, and the fear was briefly subsided by worry.

"Why?" She asked meekly. Her mind was jumbled with swirling thoughts and she wasn't so sure what to think anymore. She was fatigued, hungry and was beginning to wonder if Spencer caught her underlying message, or if anyone was even aware they were missing. For all she knew, Spencer could think she had gone out and partied last night, taking too many drugs.

"Well because, Dani my dear," His mouth slowly spread into a smile. A smile Dani wished she had never seen because she knew it would haunt her dreams if she ever made it out of there alive. "I'm your father."


	21. Sinking Realizations

**Sorry this one took so long to post! I've been pretty busy lately, but here's the next one. I think there will only be a couple chapters left of this one. Please review!**

Dani and Sophie sat silent, staring at the man standing in front of them with blank expressions. The statement played over and over in Dani's head until she broke out of the spell and with one glance at her sister, she looked back at Jared Foster with a frown.

"No. There's no way you're my father." She said as the words stumbled out of her mouth. She frowned and looked at the ground in thought, then back at her sister who was looking at her with a confused expression.

"Oh, Dani…" The man chuckled and when he looked back up at her, she noticed a small gleam in his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder HOW you're my daughter, especially when those stupid comments come out of your mouth, but yes. I am your father."

Dani's heart began beating wildly at the thought and she suddenly felt extremely nauseous.

"You can't be. Our father walked out on us when I was 8. You look nothing like him." Dani said firmly, refusing to believe what the man was telling her. "Even though he was a drunk, he would never do anything like this. NEVER."

Her shouting was cut off suddenly as the man stepped forward and smacked her hard across the cheek, making her cry out. Sophie screamed as she watched the unexpected act, then winced at the pain as the barbed wire dug into her wrists when she tried to move.

"Dani!" She cried out to her sister as she watched her head slowly pull back to its previous position. Dani glared at the angry man in front of her with fear exuding from her eyes as she tried to shake off the sting piercing her cheek.

"Sophie, it's ok." Dani quickly reassured her sister. She didn't want this man to suddenly have the urge to shut her up. Her eyes flashed back to the man standing in front of her. The feelings were bubbling up inside of her and she wasn't sure if she should argue with this man, but she felt the lies were too much to handle to stay quiet.

"You're not my father." She continued quietly, ignoring the pain that trembled through her jaw as she spoke.

Jared Foster laughed loudly, startling the two girls. He looked Dani sternly in the eyes, then his gaze trailed to Sophie, making Dani's heart pound faster in fear that he was about to do something to her.

"There's.. There's no way. You don't look anything like the man who walked out on us. No." Dani spoke quickly and tried to avert his attention back to her. It worked as his head slowly turned and landed on Dani. Her body shivered as he stared at her.

"I am NOT the man who walked out on you!" He shouted loudly and suddenly flipped over the small tray table that was behind him. Metal instruments flew to the ground and made a loud clanging sound as they fell, making the girls both jump in fear and cry out when the barbed wire clamping their wrists and ankles together dig into their skin.

Dani tried to control her shallow, quick breathing as she closed her eyes, trying to disappear from the situation. Her eyelids quickly flew open once she heard the small cry come from Sophie and she saw Jared Foster making his way towards her.

"No! Don't touch her!!" Dani screamed at him and tried to pull her hands free in panic as he stood in front of her sister. The metal stabbed into her skin and she knew blood was dripping down her hands, but she tried to ignore it to get the man away from her sister.

"STOP IT!" Dani screamed loudly as the tears began to well up in her eyes. Jared Foster turned to look at her just as he stopped in front of Sophie, whose eyes were clamped shut in fear as a sob escaped her mouth.

"Get away from her, it's me you want! Leave her out of this…" Dani cried through her clenched teeth. Jared Foster stepped away from Sophie and stood directly in front of Dani. She looked up at him with determined eyes and held his gaze as her body trembled. She was beginning to feel dizzy and felt something drip slowly down her cheek, but she couldn't wipe it away with her hands bound. She couldn't tell if it was tears or blood trailing down her face.

"You don't even know, you don't even know. Perhaps if I told you, you would understand." He spoke in a sudden calming voice that was barely audible to the two girls. The drastic change in his attitude seemed to scare Dani more then when he was in a rage because now that he was calm, she couldn't tell if or when he would explode again.

Dani remained quiet, not wanting to add any more to the conversation than she needed to. She felt that now he was messing with her mind, trying to drive her crazy perhaps. But she knew if she kept him talking, it would buy them more time. More time for someone to save them. If anyone came.

"W-why do you say that…?" Dani managed to find her voice and ask. She dared to look up to see the reaction on the man's face, but was disappointed to see the blank, sullen expression.

"You have the same temperament as your mother, you know…" The words came calmly from his lips, making Dani frown as the feelings mingled inside of her.

"What do you know about my mother? You leave her out of this…" Dani struggled to speak sternly, but at the thought of her mother, her voice came out shaky.

"Oh, Dani." The man laughed again as he set the tray back up to its upright position and he began to pick up the tools that had previously sat on it. "You know, I once loved your mother. When she lived her years and years ago. We had a brief attraction before she had to move back to France. She said she had to be with her sister. I didn't believe it of course, Hélene was perfectly fine. I knew. But I let her go, but I had to keep an eye on her. I didn't believe her excuse for leaving me, I didn't."

Dani's frown deepened as his story continued. She couldn't understand how he knew her mother and Aunt. She wondered if he even knew they were no longer alive.

"I continued to watch her from afar and was devastated when I found out she had been pregnant. She never told me, she kept it a secret from me. But I knew, I knew you were my child and for some reason she decided to keep it from me! I tried to contact her multiple times, but she continued to ignore me, continued to move around France, try to meet new guys to be a perfect dad to you. Then she met up with that poor excuse of a man, that drunk son of a bitch who fathered your sister here. No, he wasn't your father at all Daniette, he wasn't even close! I couldn't believe she kept you in the same household as that man for as long as she did and I was glad when he walked out on you." The man paused for a moment and Dani could see his jaw twitch slightly. Her heart couldn't seem to slow down and her breathing began to come in gasps at his story. She couldn't tell if he was making it up.

"Then imagine how happy I was to learn your mother was moving back to Seattle. Yes, I knew long before she did that she would be coming back. I knew it would be my chance to finally see you again. I met with her, and tried to make her understand that you needed your father in your life. She wouldn't listen to me and threatened to go to the cops if she ever saw me near you." She could tell he was getting angry because he was clenching and unclenching his fists constantly and she could see something swirling in his eyes.

She continued to struggle to hold the blank expression on her face. She didn't want anything to set this man off.

"So I watched you. Oh, Dani, I watched you for years. I watched you grow up. When you were older I tried to talk to you. I pretended to run into you in a coffee shop, but you just gave me a look and walked away. You didn't even say anything! I knew I had to do something about this, I couldn't let you go on without knowing your actual father. I had to take care of the one thing that was in my way…" A noticeable wave of satisfaction rolled over Jared Foster's body, while a terrible tremble of fear flooded Dani's.

"You… You…" She tried to grasp what he was saying, but couldn't seem to understand. She forced herself to try and ignore what he was saying, but the realization sunk in too fast with too much force. "You killed my mother?!" She screamed at him as fresh tears stung her eyes.

He broke out into a low, menacing laugh. "I had to. She would never let me see my own daughter. She deserved what she got, forcing me to go 17 years without meeting my own flesh and blood."

Dani tried to swallow the bile that threatened to rise into her mouth. "You… You fucking maniac!! You… You…"

Dani stammered as she tried to grasp the sudden realization. Her mind flew back to the night she snuck back into the apartment building, seeing her mom dead on the floor with blood everywhere. Seeing the man exiting out the living room window. For a moment she completely forgot Sophie was beside her, she remained quiet and in shock.

"Then you seemed to disappear for a while, I couldn't find you. I finally ran into you a few years later and tried to have a conversation. But you weren't having any of it. I had to succumb to using force and even then you fought back. Imagine, the feeling of your own daughter fighting back, pushing away her own father!!" Jared Foster suddenly turned around and slammed the tray table to the ground once again. The sudden outrage made both girls jump in fear and Dani looked over to see Sophie close her eyes as the tears flooded down her cheeks. She looked as scared as Dani felt.

"You don't appreciate your own father! I tried and tried to contact you or meet with you and you attack me when I tried! The level of disrespect and ignorance to do that is unacceptable. I know it's your mother's blood inside of you that made you do that." Jared Foster seemed out of control now as he kicked the metal instruments and tray table on the cement floor, creating an abundance of clanging and noise in the empty room.

"You killed my mother! You asshole!" Dani screamed at him as her whole body shook. She couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger, but felt her nausea fall back to be replaced with a bubble of anger.

"That's NO way to talk to your father! NO WAY!" He stomped in front of Dani and smacked her hard across her cheek once again.

"Stop it! Stop it, please!" Sophie screamed through her tears. He turned to face the smaller girl and she cowered back in fear.

"That's enough out of you. This doesn't concern you." He pointed a shaking finger at the younger woman and bent down suddenly, picking up a discarded roll of duct tape from the floor. Sophie whimpered as the ripping sound echoed through the space. He quickly covered her mouth with the silver coloured tape, then pushed her face back in frustration.

Dani struggled to lift her head up, she could feel her cheek was already swollen and the skin had broke just below her eye. Her head pounded so much she could barely focus on the situation anymore.

"You've given me NOTHING but disrespect!" Jared Foster continued as he paced back and forth in front of the two girls. "Nothing! I am your father, and now that I finally have you, I'm going to show you the respect I deserve."

Dani's eyes widened in fear as she saw him pick up a large wrench from the floor and begin walking towards her. Sophie's muffled screams sounded from her right and for once since they have been in this empty hole of a room, Dani feared she may not make it out alive.

* * *

"Morgan, it's Hotch." Morgan answered his phone as he pulled up to the abandoned cab at the location him, Reid and Prentiss were given.

"Hey Hotch, we just got here." Morgan said as he turned off the ignition and exited the black SUV.

"We've been searching the area here, but it's mostly just home residence. We've been going door to door, but I don't think Foster would risk taking the girls to his own home if he even lives in the area." Hotch advised, covering the disappointment in his own voice. "I have Garcia running a grid search for any businesses or warehouses within a 5 block radius of the two locations. He wouldn't have dragged them far from the car."

"Ok, thanks Hotch. We're just going to browse the area and search the inside of the car. Did you find anything in the other cab?" Morgan questioned as Prentiss and Reid stepped from the vehicle.

"Nothing. Just a few receipts that we're getting Garcia to run through the system too." Hotch said. "Call me if you guys turn up anything."

Morgan hung up the cell and looked at the other two. "Hotch said they're not having much luck over there. Lets start with the car."

Reid took in the surroundings as Morgan dug in the back of the SUV for a tool to unlock the doors of the abandoned car. He quickly scanned the area for any large buildings that would hold a basement, but Morgan broke his thoughts as he shoved the long flat metal down into the window and quickly heard the pop as the lock moved.

"Got it." He announced and threw the tool to the ground.

"Geez, it's almost as if that wasn't your first time." Prentiss joked as Morgan opened the passenger door of the car.

He gave her a look and pressed the button to unlock the rest of the doors.

"Come on guys, lets hurry…" Reid brushed past Prentiss to open the door to the backseat and began searching for some kind of evidence that Dani had once been here.

"Well, I have some bullets in the glove compartment. That's enough for an arrest on whoever drives this car…" Morgan advised as he rifled around the glove box for more incriminating evidence.

"We're not looking to reasons to arrest the guy, we're looking for evidence that the girls were here…" Reid replied somewhat huffily from the backseat, surprising Morgan. Prentiss looked up from the driver's side to look at Morgan and frowned.

"Reid calm down. We'll find them." Morgan said calmly as he continued to look around the front of the cab.

"I can't calm down ok? It's my fault she left in the first place. I have to find her. It's all my fault…" Reid's voice was muffled as he reached frantically under the front seats.

"Reid, I don't think that-" Prentiss started to argue the young genius' statement, but Reid quickly hushed her has his hand hit something under the passenger's seat.

"Oh my god… I think we found the right one…" Reid announced as his heart began beating wildly. He held up the plastic case that had broken off the window separating the front from the back. He turned it to face the other two and heard Prentiss suck in a breath as she stared at the framed cab license containing a picture of Jared Foster.

"I don't think this is Grant Shewchuk…" Reid pointed out as he turned the fake license and studied it for himself. He looked back up to face Morgan and Prentiss who were staring blankly back at Reid as the realization sunk in.

**-I have also started a poll on my profile page and would appreciate it a LOT if you could take a minute and go check it out! :)**


	22. Pumas and Glock 22s

"They're on their way." Morgan told Reid and Prentiss as he hung up his cell phone. He had called Hotch immediately after Reid had found the fake cab driver's license under the seat, telling him that they would be wasting their time if they stayed over there. The three knew Jared Foster had to be close by.

"The profile says he obviously thinks he has some kind of attraction with Dani. She's an object of affection in his eyes. Would he actually attack her again?" Reid frowned and winced at the thought of what could be happening to the girls at that moment.

"Well, he did it once before so we can't be too sure. Plus, this time her sister is there so that could throw him off in-" Morgan started to explain, but his cell phone suddenly rang in his hands interrupting him.

He glanced at the caller ID, expecting it to be Hotch, but smiled once he recognized the other number.

"Hey baby girl." He sang into the phone and turned his back to the other two as he spoke.

"Do you think they're ok…?" Reid questioned Prentiss in a low voice as he turned to face her. He watched as Prentiss' worried face fell slightly.

"I hope so. If they're not, this guy is going to wish he was dead by the time I get to him." Prentiss muttered angrily, and Reid had to smile at the menacing look on her face.

He stayed quiet for a few seconds as Morgan's voice occupied the background, then he began talking again without looking up at Prentiss.

"Do you think she blames me?" He asked outright, which immediately received a smack on the arm from Prentiss.

"Reid! Of course she doesn't. Stop thinking like that and get your head around saving her instead." Prentiss exasperated as Reid frowned and rubbed his arm gently where she had made contact.

"Did you get us the map points of all the basements in the area?" Morgan's voice asked as he spoke into the phone a few feet away.

"Not yet, I'm still working on the grid. But I DID find out something else that was intriguing…" Garcia spoke as her fingers typed feverishly on the keyboard.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Morgan asked out of curiosity.

"Hotch asked me to run more research on Dani's past a few days ago, to see if there was any link between this guy who's obsessed with her.." Garcia physically shuddered just at the thought of it. "Well anyways, it took me until now to find it, but I got a hit on her birth certificate. It was super hard to find, but you know me… Anyways, who did Dani say her father was?" Garcia asked.

Morgan frowned in thought for a moment, "Uhh, I think she said Pierre… Pierre Berdeaux?"

"Right!" Garcia agreed, "However, on her birth certificate, it doesn't say that. It says her father is some John Smith. There's no name. The father's side is blank. Is that even legal?" Garcia paused to wonder for a minute before Morgan broke her thoughts.

"I don't know, but look into it a little more baby girl. Work your magic and let me know. And send us those grid points as soon as you get them." Morgan pressed gently.

"You got it, hot chocolate." Garcia made a kissy noise before ending the call and getting back to work.

"What was that about?" Reid perked up as soon as Morgan flipped his phone shut and turned back to face them.

"Garcia's still working on the area, but she mentioned she got a hit on Dani's birth certificate." Morgan explained.

"Why would she be researching on Dani?" Prentiss questioned suspiciously, but Morgan only shrugged in reply.

"I don't know, Hotch asked her to a few days ago. But she said she got a hit finally and that there's no father's name on it. It's just blank." Morgan said with a frown and began rifling through the trunk of the cab.

"Didn't she say her father was Pierre something?" Prentiss turned to Reid who was frowning at the information and staring at the ground until his eyes suddenly widened and he looked up at the other two as his heart began to beat faster.

"It all makes sense." Reid exclaimed and paced forward a few steps, then turned back around to face them again. "The pictures, the profile, her mother, her aunt… The attack… The entire profile! Jared Foster isn't just obsessed with her because it's random, he… He could be her real father!"

Morgan and Prentiss looked at each other as the highlights of the case flew through their mind.

"Son of a bitch." Morgan finally breathed as he pulled out his cell phone again.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Dani let out a large sob as the intimidating man made his way towards her with the large, metal wrench clutched in his hand.

She saw his jaw clench briefly before he answered. "Do you know how long I've waited to even see you?? Your mother tried to keep you hidden from me for all these years, but I knew. I knew!" He shouted loudly and kicked a bucket out of his way angrily. "She kept you from me all this time! She brainwashed you. When I finally ran into you, you ignored me, you walked away with a look of disgust on your face! My own daughter!"

Dani felt the tears flow down her cheeks as she seen the rage protrude from the man in front of her. His face was red and she seen sweat glisten on his forehead as his body shook when he yelled. She could hear the muffled sobs and protests coming from her sister as Jared Foster continued to walk towards Dani.

* * *

"We can't wait any longer, let's start searching the area. Garcia will call Hotch once she has a list of places he could be." Reid announced as he paced back and forth behind the abandoned cab and looked up to the other two.

Morgan sighed as he debated the idea internally. Hotch, Rossi and JJ were on their way, but the location they had been was nearly across the city from where they were now and he knew it would take them at least 15 minutes to get here.

"Ok. Let's go. We stay together though, got it?" Morgan suggested and the other two nodded as they began to fall into stride with each other.

"I looked around before and we know he couldn't take them far. He either had to take them both at the same time or leave one in the car while he transferred the other. He wouldn't risk leaving one in an abandoned car for long, especially since it was parked right on the street…" Reid rattled on out loud as they walked. He stopped suddenly and frowned as he scanned the area once more, first looking at the cab then at the buildings around them.

"He parked on the wrong side of the street, he wouldn't do that if it was intentional." Prentiss added as she followed Reid's gaze. "They have to be on this side."

Morgan stopped beside Reid and looked at the buildings carefully. His eyes trailed from a couple apartment buildings, a convenience store, then landed on a larger, run down looking structure.

"Hey, does that look like an abandoned warehouse to you guys?" Morgan asked out loud as he frowned and pointed off to the distance behind one of the apartment buildings.

"He could have used the back alley." Reid agreed quickly and looked at Morgan as he felt his heart begin to pump harder inside of his chest.

"Let's check it out." Prentiss urged and the three began quickly walking towards the structure via the back alley of the apartment building.

"All warehouses up to 1998 were required to have basements underneath for storage and the heating supplies. The city wouldn't allow them to have storage sites on the property because it was to be used for-" Reid began the statistic before Morgan stopped suddenly in front of him, causing Reid to run into his backside.

"Morgan, what the h-?" Reid began to frown, but Morgan bent down and turned to face the others as he held up a discarded shoe.

"Look familiar?" Morgan pressed as he studied the white and green Puma and looked at Reid intently. He saw the kid's eyes widen and the fear flicker across his face before he met his eyes.

"Dani was wearing them when she left." Reid confirmed in a whisper before looking up at Prentiss.

"Shit. Get Hotch on the phone, we can't wait any longer." She said as she pulled out her gun and shut the safety off before looking up at the large building in front of them.

**Sorry this one was a little short, but I had to cut it off before it went any further! As always, please review!**


	23. Taking Action

**I'm SO sorry it took so long for me to update! But here it is, please review and let me know what you think.**

"Door's open…" Morgan announced as he turned the handle on the side entrance to the warehouse. Reid swallowed hard as he drew his gun and held it straight out in front of him. Morgan swung the door wide and they all dodged into the dark, large area with guns drawn.

"Hotch ordered us to go in without them, we can't wait anymore. Be careful." Prentiss advised quietly. Reid nodded, knowing Prentiss probably couldn't see him. He held his gun out with his left hand as he pulled the strap tighter on his FBI vest with his right. A hazy light trailed into the warehouse from the open door, but as they walked in further Morgan switched on his flashlight and led the way as the other two followed him, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

"If they're still… Alive… We have to be careful. This type of profile suggests two types of endings… He'll either kill himself or… Kill the object of his affection. In his mind, now that he has here no one else can." Reid advised as he kept his voice low in the large empty building. He saw the others nod, but struggled to keep his mind on the task at hand. All he could think about was Dani, her smile, the way she talked to others and laughed so openly. The way she constantly teased him, even though he didn't really mind it, the way he always seemed to feel his cheeks grow hot when in her presence.

Reid cleared his throat loudly, startling Prentiss and Morgan, but they ignored it and continued to trek slowly along one on the walls of the warehouse.

Morgan stopped just outside of a heavy metal door and turned to look at the others. Prentiss quickly moved to the other side and nodded while Reid waited, his gun drawn to the door. Morgan held his fingers up and counted to three before he turned the knob and swung the door open while holding his gun out.

"Stairs." Morgan announced after realizing no one was directly on the other side.

Reid swallowed hard at the sight of the rough metal stairs and closed his eyes briefly, praying for Dani's safety. He could almost guarantee that her sister wouldn't be in danger of her life, the profile he had studied over and over again claimed that Jared Foster had no means for anyone but Dani. Now, especially with the information that he was her biological father, Reid knew it was true. He also knew that heightened the risk that Dani was in more danger than they could have predicted.

"They have to be down there," Prentiss murmured quietly. "Do you think we should wait for the others?"

Morgan looked at her, but as the dwindling thoughts finished in Reid's mind, he was the one to speak.

"No, I think we should go now." He whispered firmly and without waiting for an answer he was the first to enter the doorway and begin to descend the long, dark staircase.

"Reid!" Morgan whispered harshly after him, but when he didn't stop Morgan nodded towards Prentiss and they quickly followed.

"Be careful…" Morgan warned gently once he caught up to Reid. He was about to reply, but a loud bang interrupted the deathly silence of the stairwell.

"Did you hear that?" Prentiss asked from behind Morgan, not even bothering to keep her voice lowered. Morgan nodded and turned to Reid who was standing there with his eyes wide.

Reid turned quickly and nearly ran down the remaining stairs, quickly peeking through the empty doorways that they passed. The dim bulbs above their heads seemed to swing ceremoniously as they passed, forcing them to duck as they walked swiftly to the end of the hall.

"It's the only other door…" Reid announced in a worried whisper as he turned from the closed door to face his colleagues. He swallowed hard and looked at Morgan in a silent cry for help. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face the possibility of what was on the other side. If anything had happened to Dani, he wasn't sure he would be able to forgive himself, he wasn't sure if-

A scared, muffled cry sounded on the other side of the door interrupting Reid's scattered thoughts. He snapped his attention to Morgan and Prentiss to confirm that they heard it too.

"Step back," Morgan demanded softly as he reached passed Reid for the door knob. He tried to turn it, but it stopped a quarter of the way, angrily signalling that it was locked.

"Shit," Morgan cursed loudly as he took a step backwards. "Look out, Reid."

Reid quickly sidestepped as Morgan lifted his leg and kicked the door hard, the loud bang echoing through the long corridor of the damp hallway. Morgan cursed again when the door didn't budge and Reid's heart stopped when he heard a rustle inside the room. Morgan quickly stepped back and kicked the door again, and then again until it finally snapped open and banged against the wall.

"FREEZE!" Morgan yelled. The scene in front of him was definitely a shock, he barely managed to process the fact that he only saw a long haired brunette tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He couldn't even clue in that Dani no longer had long hair and that it was her sister in the chair, but his focus was instantly demanded on the older man standing in front of her.

"Hands in the air! Get down on your knees!" Prentiss shouted from behind him. Her eyes averted down to see Jared Foster fingering something at his side while his face showed no expression. He didn't even seem startled that the FBI agents had burst into the room, he didn't look guilty, and he sure didn't look like he was going to give up easily.

Reid's heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest as he watched the man who they had been hunting standing in front of them. It was like being unable to wake up from a nightmare as he registered the man who had attacked Dani a year ago. The man who could very be her biological father having kidnapped her.

His field instincts had him holding the gun in his hands focused on the man in front of them. He knew from entering the room that only Sophie was visible, he was sure she was tied to a chair, but felt he couldn't look as he stared down the man in front of them.

"ON YOUR KNEES!" Morgan shouted so loud that it echoed through the room. They all held their gaze and their guns on the man who suddenly broke into an eery smile as he stared back at them.

"You know, I would think that…" Jared Foster opened his mouth, but the obvious distraction panned out as his hand snapped into motion at his side.

"Gun!" Prentiss screamed as Jared Foster pulled the hand gun from his belt and aimed it.

The gun shot blasted through the drippy underground hole and echoed through the space.

* * *

"That was a gunshot!" JJ's eyes widened as the three stepped from the black SUV. They had just pulled up to the other unmarked car and the abandoned cab when the loud noise sounded around them.

"They must have gone in already," Hotch said worriedly as he drew the gun from its holster. "Let's go, keep your eyes open."

Rossi and JJ nodded and quickly followed suit as they drew their guns and followed Hotch's quick steps towards the back alley facing towards what looked like a large abandoned building.

* * *

Reid stood frozen as he stared forward, his hands shaking. The gunshot still rang in his ears and he felt the overwhelming need to panic as he glanced at Morgan and Prentiss, the thoughts of the bullet hitting one of them piercing through his mind.

When he looked to his right, he met the gaze of the other two staring at him with wide eyes and that's when he realized he was still holding his gun straight out in front of him towards Jared Foster who was now laying on the ground, a pool of blood slowly escaping around him.

Prentiss acted first and jolted forward to kick the gun from Jared Foster's hand and knelt down to check for a pulse. That was when Reid realized it was his gun that had fired and his knuckles were nearly white from clutching the smooth metal so tightly.

Morgan must have said something because Reid snapped out of the trance he seemed to be in and remembered the reason they were here. His hands dropped downwards and he tucked the gun safely back in its holster as his gaze travelled instantly to his left.

Sophie was barred to a chair and duct tape sealed her mouth as the tears poured down her face. Morgan was already by her side and ripped the tape off just as she began screaming.

"Dani! He hit her… Wrench… She.. She…" Sophie tried to get the words out through the sobs that wracked her body, and that's when Reid's eyes trailed to the ground on the other side of Sophie.

The sight shocked him and he could swear his heart stopped for a second. He pushed around Sophie and saw Dani lying on the ground with the side of her face against the cold cement floor. She was still somehow attached to the wooden chair and her arms were bent at an odd angle, clasped together behind the back of the chair. He wrists and arms were covered in blood and the side of her face that was showing was sprinkled with cuts and a large bruise forming around her eye. A larger, deeper cut was visible just above her eye, the blood seeping from it ran down her face.

"Dani!" Reid cried, unaware of his own voice. He dropped to his knees and held his hands out, unsure what to touch first. It appeared that barbed wire was the item used to hold her limbs together and the odd angle of the arm underneath her told him that she probably had a dislocated shoulder.

"She.. Is she??" Sophie cried as she tried to crane her neck around to see her sister, but Morgan pulled her face back to look at him.

Reid ignored the flurry of activity as Rossi, Hotch and JJ ran into the room, Morgan trying to calm Sophie down, and Prentiss running over to help. Reid could only focus on Dani's pale face and the blood surrounding her as he nervously reached down to check for a pulse.


	24. Bright Lights

The room felt too warm. It was almost to the point that it was uncomfortable and Dani struggled to shift positions, but she felt bolted down. She tried to pry her eyes open against the harsh light around her, but they disobeyed her and remained clamped shut.

The voices around her were evident, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. She could only hear the muffled sounds and no clear words. She felt angry for some reason, angry that she couldn't understand what was being said around her. She tried to listen harder, but the only thing that she could decipher was the familiar voice. It sounded like Spencer Reid.

"Mmph…"

"Is she awake?" Spencer Reid asked as he quickly shifted to Dani's side after hearing the mumble come from the hospital bed.

"I don't think so… She could just be dreaming…" Prentiss suggested, but followed Reid to the other side of the bed and sat in the chair she had been in and out of that entire night.

"Dani…? Dani, are you there?" Reid ignored Prentiss' logic and sat on the edge of his own chair as he watched the unconscious girl in front of him. The paramedics had arrived quickly once the call went out from the abandoned warehouse and the team had to get cutters to snap the barbed wire off Sophie and Dani's limbs. Reid had winced at the sight of blood that poured out of Dani's lifeless bodies, but the medics had whisked her away quickly before he could study it anymore.

Sophie had demanded she walk out and ride along with her unconscious sister in the ambulance. She too had lost some blood, but not nearly as much as Dani. She had a few bumps and minor cuts on her body, but it was obvious that Jared Foster had centered his attention on his biological daughter and that Sophie had been a mild change of plans.

With Hotch's quick approval, Prentiss and Reid immediately followed the ambulance to the hospital to wait with the girls while the others remained behind to deal with the situation. Reid had waited impatiently for Dani to become stable and had consumed about eight cups of bad hospital coffee while waiting. Prentiss had periodically left to check on Sophie who was recovering in another hospital room. The doctors firmly suggested she stay overnight as well so they could monitor her.

When Dani didn't make a sound of response, Reid slid back in his chair and frowned slightly as he stared at her.

"Don't worry, Reid. The doctor's said she'll be ok, she might not be up for a bit yet. Maybe you should get some sleep too, it's like 2am…" Prentiss raised an eyebrow as she looked at her watch. Reid quickly shook his head in reply and crossed his ankle over his knee, then pried his eyes from the bed to the colleague across from him.

"Nah… Plus I think I've had enough coffee to keep me up all night. Actually, I should probably go get some more pretty soon…" He mumbled as he stifled a yawn behind his hand.

Prentiss smirked inwardly, but stood from her position and stretched her aching muscles.

"Let me get one for you. I'm going to stretch my legs and check on Sophie again, make sure she's doing ok. I'll be back in a few." She smiled gently at Reid before exiting the brightly lit hospital room and escaped down the hall.

Reid sighed loudly as his eyes fell back on the brunette laying under the white sheets on the small bed. His frown deepened as his eyes trailed up to her face and he studied the harsh bruises forming on the side of her face, along with the deep cut above her brow that needed six stitches to close up. He winced as he thought of the reason she needed the stitches. Sophie had filled them in on the entire story through her sobs at the hospital and how Jared Foster had taken a large, rusty wrench to Dani's face after she denied everything and wouldn't believe it. Sophie said that she had never seen that much rage in a person and admitted how fearful she was that he probably would have beat her to death if the team hadn't barged in at that moment.

Reid couldn't deny his own fear when he had seen Dani laying on the cold cement floor. His heart nearly stopped when the thought that she was dead flittered into his mind. And the overwhelming feeling that had entered his body when he felt the faint pulse in her neck. He had nearly shouted at Hotch to call an ambulance, suddenly unaware of everything around him. The events between that and arriving at the hospital was hazy and only when the paramedics denied him and Prentiss' entry passed the waiting room did he finally manage to process what had happened. The feelings rocking within him had almost been overwhelming and he had wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't.

"You know, it's rude to stare…" The sudden groggy, raspy voice snapped Reid back to attention and he looked quickly up to meet Dani's half opened eyes.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…" Reid stammered as his eyes widened before the realization could set in that Dani was now awake.

"It's not as bad as it looks…" Dani reassured, but winced as she struggled to sit up more in the uncomfortable hospital bed.

Reid quickly slid forward in his chair, "Don't try to move, you should just stay still for a bit." Dani stopped moving and stared at him for a minute, trying to place the events in her mind.

"You understood the message…" Dani smiled through her voice seeing as it hurt too much to try and stretch her lips to do so.

Reid smiled himself, "I did. You know, we were all impressed by that." His smile widened as he stared down at the woman in front of him.

"I had to think of something. I knew you would pick up on it. You had to." She muttered again and suddenly took a deep breath. "It's really hot in here…"

She tried to lift her arms from underneath the blanket, but Reid quickly shot forward and gently pulled the thick blanked down to her waist to give her some air.

He heard her suck in a quick breath after her eyes fell on the thick bandages at her wrists and her eyes quickly glanced up to meet his in question.

"Uh… The barbed wire around your wrists and ankles… They dug in pretty deep and you lost a lot of blood. The doctors said that it just barely missed the main arteries. You had to get a tetanus shot." Reid said matter of fact and tried to lighten the situation with the facts he knew how to talk about.

Dani could only nod at his words as the frown flicked across her face and the physical and emotional pain washed over her body.

"He… He said he was my real father…" She admitted softly, but averted Spencer's concerned gaze.

Reid sighed inwardly, but nodded his head. "Yeah. He… He actually was." He said bluntly, unaware how to admit it gently. Dani's lips pursed slightly after he confirmed it, but Reid quickly added to the statement. "He's… He's dead."

At that, Dani's eyes flew up to read his expression and she tried to smile at the news, but found an uncomfortable feeling enter her body.

"What if I end up like that…?" She asked in a whisper, but Reid shook his head.

"No. Dani, you'll never be like him." He pressed firmly and found his hand covering hers on the bed.

"Thanks…" Dani's lips quivered into a short smile that quickly disappeared. "Sophie… How's my sister?" She asked in a sudden panic.

"Don't worry, she's fine." Reid quickly reassured. "She just had a few bumps and bruises, but they were all minor. She was more concerned about you."

"I was so afraid… But I had to keep him talking, I couldn't let him get to my sister." Dani explained quietly.

"You were amazing. I was so impressed with how you handled everything…" Reid smiled again as his cheeks flushed from the intimate statement.

"I'm just surprised that you understood my message. That's impressive." Dani scoffed out a laugh, then quickly winced at the pain that shot through her body. "You're great at your job Dr. Reid."

Reid's flush deepened at the praise and he cleared his throat awkwardly, then looked down at his own hand covering hers on the bed.

"You know, I was so scared when I found out what happened. I'm sorry I… Well, that you… How I forced you to leave and…" Reid struggled with the words, but Dani's hand turned slightly so she could grab his gently in reassurance.

"Spencer, you didn't force me to leave. Don't blame yourself for anything. I mean it." Dani scolded playfully.

Reid attempted a smile, but it came across as a frown as he thought about what had happened.

"I was so scared. I didn't know if you would… Especially when we found out that… I.. I didn't want to lose you." Reid admitted surprisingly to himself, but kept his eyes cast down.

"Spence. All that matters is that I'm ok. Don't worry, I'm here. Even if I do look a little roughed up. I think it might be a good look for me. Makes me look tough." Dani attempted the dry humour to lighten the mood and got her reaction when Reid's face broke into a smile.

**Please review fellow readers, and let me know if I should add one more chapter. I'm not sure if this justifies an ending or not, but if you would like to see one more chapter on the aftermath PLEASE review it and tell me! Thanks!**


	25. Epilogue

**Ok guys, here it is!**

"I can't believe she's gone back to California. I just got used to having her around again… I'm gonna miss her." Dani sighed as she clicked her seatbelt securely around her.

Reid attempted a smile at her as he started the ignition in the SUV he had borrowed from Morgan to drive Dani and Sophie to the airport. It had been two weeks since the kidnapping, two weeks since Dani's attack and two weeks since the death of Jared Foster. Once the girls were released from the hospital the next day, Dani was able to convince Sophie to stay with her in Virginia for this long, but Sophie had announced she needed to get back to school before she got too far behind. Her professors had obviously given her approval of leave due to the circumstances, but it was time she went back.

Dani had held on to her sister extra long in their embrace at the airport, wishing that she could go with her sister to protect her from anything that came her way. But Dani knew she couldn't, her sister was an adult and was perfectly able to take care of herself. The thought was partially selfish, Dani felt she now had a closer bond with her sister than she ever had before, and it was all because they had both shared the horrific nightmare together.

"I'm sure she'll miss you too. And she's only a plane ride away." Reid grinned at Dani from the driver's seat as he stopped at a red light.

Dani smiled back softly, then turned her eyes to her hands that lay in her lap. The bandages had just come off her wrists and ankles the other day and the harsh puncture wounds stared up at her, making Dani's stomach lurch just at the sight. The doctor had told her there would most likely be scarring and gave her some ointment to try and reduce it, but she knew the marks would always be there. There would always be a reminder of the hellish ordeal she had been through.

"Spence, I don't think I ever thanked you." Dani said suddenly as she pulled her gaze from the wounds and looked up at him.

"Thanked me for what?" Reid frowned and averted his gaze from the traffic in front of them to look at her quickly.

"If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be alive right now." She pointed out with a shrug and looked forward to lazily study the old, rusty truck in front of them.

"What? That's not true." Reid's frown deepened in disbelief at her statement and slowed the vehicle to stop at another red light.

"Of course it is! Spence, if it wasn't for you, I would never have known what to do in… In that type of situation. I never would have known to make myself look like a real person instead of an object, how to pull attention away from my sister, how to drop subtle hints about where I was or what had happened…" Dani counted out on her fingers as her argument trailed off meekly.

Reid paused to think about her words for a moment. The whole team had been impressed with how she managed the ordeal she had been through and how she hinted the reality on the phone call. Reid had been most impressed, without the knowledge Dani had given them over the phone the team may not have made it in time. They may not have made it at all.

Reid's heart hammered in his chest just at the thought of what the alternate outcome could have been and he suddenly flicked on his turn signal and with a quick shoulder check, he suddenly pulled over on the side of the road.

"Spencer, what are you doing?" Dani cried out in confusion as he slammed the vehicle into park. Dani looked at him with a shocked expression as the traffic whizzed by them on the busy road. Spencer wasn't one to be spontaneous.

He stared at his hands on the steering wheel for a good moment before they slid off and laid restlessly in his lap. He fiddled with the keychain hanging from the ignition for a moment before finally turning to Dani.

"Dani, there's something I've been wanting to tell you…" He murmured a little nervously and Dani shifted in her seat to face him with a slight frown on her face at his sudden unexpected actions. His face had fallen serious quickly and Dani found her heart beating wildly in her chest all of a sudden, making her mentally kick herself for the silly reaction.

"W-what is it?" She asked curiously and suddenly the cars flying by outside the window behind Spencer was a distant thought.

"Um…" Reid stammered and cleared his throat while he studied the buttons on the dashboard. "I… When we found out you were… Missing… I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. I didn't know what to think, and when we found out you were kidnapped by him, I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn't believe what happened right under my nose! I was so mad at myself, but then I realized I was just mad because I was ignoring everything else I was feeling." He paused for a moment to quickly glance at the girl staring intently at him. Her green eyes were studying him so intensely he swallowed hard and had to look away. "I wished if anything in the world that I could have switched positions with you. I was kicking myself the entire time and didn't know what I would do if something happened to you… I didn't know what was going on with me, then when we broke into the basement and I saw Jared Foster standing there I did the one thing I've wanted to do for over a year and I shot him."

Dani gave a half smile as she studied his face. He was avoiding her eyes and everything about his body language told her that he was uncomfortable.

"And that's what I needed to thank you for…" Dani added with a soft laugh, receiving a twitchy smile out of the nervous boy in front of her.

Reid licked his lips as he tried to control the clambering of his heart and ignored the sudden nauseous feeling flowing through him.

"I… I had to do it, and then when I saw you the first thing I thought was that you were…" Reid frowned suddenly as he stared at the console between them. "My heart dropped. I thought I lost you. I… I really care about you, Dani. And I think it's in a way… Like more than friends."

Reid's cheeks blushed wildly at the statement and Dani's heart tugged at the sight. She felt like she was melting at the words and couldn't hide the smile that had crept its way to her lips.

"You know, it was only until the end did I start to think that I wouldn't make it out of there alive." Dani explained, grabbing Reid's attention at the change of subject he welcomed gratefully and brought his eyes up to her as she spoke. "And the only thing I could think of at the time was the possibility that I would never see you again. I think that was the one thing that made me keep fighting…"

Reid's blush deepened and he smiled through it as his eyes averted back down to the console.

"What… Are you thinking of doing now?" He asked, trying to make the curious question sound nonchalant.

Dani's smile widened, she knew what he was getting at and she leaned back in the leather seat as she studied his faltering expression.

"I don't know… I'm kind of liking Virginia… Seems to be a lot of perks here…" She hinted directly without trying to hide the teasing smile on her face.

Reid looked away as the happy grin stretched across his reddened face, "Well, I mean I have lots of room… You know, if you want to crash with me for a bit longer, I don't mind…"

Reid turned back to the steering wheel as a corn honked angrily from behind them, and he kicked the vehicle back into gear as he merged into the flowing traffic distractedly.

"You know, I might just take you up on that…" Dani replied as she slid her hand from her lap to place over Reid's that was set on the console between them. She gave a small squeeze and he turned to give her one of his lopsided smiles before turning his attention back to the road in front of them. Dani's eyes trailed to their clasped hands and the angry dots staring up at her from her wrist.

Suddenly the scars didn't seem so bad.

_**La Fin. **_**Thank you to those who have been dedicated readers throughout this whole thing. Please check my profile and take a minute to vote on the poll I have posted! I really enjoyed writing this little series and would love it if you could drop a review to let me know how you liked the ending. Thanks again for reading!**


End file.
